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GM vs Microsoft
At a computer expo (COMDEX),
Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer
industry with the auto industry and stated: "If GM had kept up with the
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:
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If GM had developed technology like
Microsoft, we would all be driving cars
with the following characteristics:
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For no reason at all, your car would crash twice a day.
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Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a
new car.
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Occasionally, executing a manoeuver such as a left-turn would cause your
car to shut down and refuse to restart, and you would have to reinstall
the engine.
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When your car died on the freeway for no reason, you would just accept
this, restart and drive on.
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Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought 'Car95'
or 'CarNT', and then added more seats.
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Apple would make a car powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast,
and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five per cent of the
roads.
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Oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced
by a single 'general car default' warning light.
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New seats would force every-one to have the same size butt.
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The airbag would say 'Are you sure?' before going off.
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Occasionally, for no reason, your car would lock you out and refuse to
let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the
key, and grabbed the radio antenna.
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GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of road
maps from Rand-McNally (a subsidiary of GM), even though they neither
need them nor want them. Trying to delete this option would immediately
cause the car's performance to diminish by 50 per cent or more.
Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice
Department.
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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.
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You would press the 'start' button to shut off the engine.
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