The Prize for Irrelevance

The Prize for Irrelevance

1934, writes Clark, who has a doctorate in the history of technology from the University of Delaware, "magnetic recording had become a practical method for sound reproduction, one which had a number of potential commercial applications." A prototype telephone-answering machine built that year, although large and com- plicated, "met all reasonable engineering re- quirements for performance," Clark says. Simi- lar equipment was used successfully in field tests. Yet AT&T did...

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