What If GM Was Like Microsoft …?
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared
The computer industry with the auto industry and stated: “If GM
had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would
all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 miles to the
gallon”.
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press
release stating that if GM had developed technology like
Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following
characteristics:
- For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a
day.
- Every time they painted the lines on the road you would have
to buy a new car.
- Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn, would
cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case
you would have to reinstall the engine.
- Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was
reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but
would only run on five percent of the roads.
- New seats would force everyone to have the same size
butt.
- Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you
out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the
door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio
antenna.
- GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set
of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they
neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option
would immediately cause the car's performance to diminish by 50
percent or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for
investigation by the Justice Dept.
- Every time GM introduced a new model, car buyers would have to
learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls
would operate in the same manner as the old car.
- You'd press the start button to shut off the
engine.