GM's Response to Bill
At one 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 $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had
developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following
characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the
side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows
before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. 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.

5. 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 run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single
"This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. 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.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again
because almost none of the controls would operate the same way as in the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

category: technology  date entered: 2007-02-02