At a 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:
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 on the road you would have to buy a new car
or buy costly and dysfunctional upgrades for your existing car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just
accept this and buy a new car.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn, would cause your car to
shut down and refuse to start, in which case you have to reinstall the engine.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought "Car95" or
"CarNT." But then you would have to buy more seats fitted only for new cars.
6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable, five times as
fast, and thrice as easy to drive, but would only run on 15 percent of the roads,
mostly near universities, research parks, and artsy urban districts.
7. The oil, water temperature and alternator lights would be replaced by a single
"general car fault" warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag system would say "Are you sure?" before going off.
10. 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.
11. If you looked at another car, or installed a non MS car radio, your car would shut
down and refuse to start, in which case you have to reinstall the engine again (and
again and again until you installed the MS car radio).
11. MS would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally
road maps, Mobil travel guides, Encyclopedia Britannica with annual supplement,
Denny's locator and McDonald's locator, all now MicroSoft subsidiaries, even though
they neither needed nor wanted them. Attempting to delete this option would
immediately cause the car's performance to diminish by 50% or more. Moreover, MS
would become the target of investigation by the Justice Department.
12. Every time MS would introduce 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.
13. You'd have to press the "Start" button to shut off the engine.