Here’s an image from 1954 Popular Science that shows a RAND corporation forecast for what a personal computer might look like in 2004. I love the caption stating that teletype and FORTRAN will make it easy to use. I also love the giant steering wheel. I want one.
I posted this without checking the authenticity, and according to Bruce (see comment), it is a hoax.
Strange how they got it so wrong in the exact opposite way to everything else – we’re still waiting for our flying cars and moonbases.
Obviously the steering wheel is so you can drive it home in the evenings – true portabilty!
Alas, that photo has been around before, and turned out to be a hoax. (The steering wheel should have been a giveaway…)
Personally, I always liked the way Capt. Kirk could make computers explode violently by giving them problems they couldn’t solve. In real life, it usually turns out to be the other way around…
I want one too…