In Theory, This Was A Huge Success
Behold 3Com's "Audrey." It's part of a long legacy of attempts by various companies to build an "appliance"-style computer. Audrey was supposed to sit in the kitchen and be the family's digital hub. You could grab your email, surf the web, listen to music, leave notes for each other...
Yes, it was an almost instant failure. Just like the other machines of its ilk.
Still, it wasn't a stupid idea. Astronomers sometimes deduce that a planet must exist in a certain spot, even if they can't actually see it. The Appliance Computer is one of many tech products in that same vein. Even in the year 2000, multiple family members had their own computers and their own handhelds. It was very, very easy to make a rational argument that a simple, affordable computer stationed in the most accessible and heavily-trafficked room in the house would be a big hit.
But in the end, there's only one metric that means anything: sales.
Audrey wasn't a bad computer at all. A $499 color touchscreen-based computer that designed to be more of a consumer item than a serious computer? Sounds vaguely-familiar...
In Theory, This Was A Huge Success
Behold 3Com's "Audrey." It's part of a long legacy of attempts by various companies to build an "appliance"-style computer. Audrey was supposed to sit in the kitchen and be the family's digital hub. You could grab your email, surf the web, listen to music, leave notes for each other...
Yes, it was an almost instant failure. Just like the other machines of its ilk.
Still, it wasn't a stupid idea. Astronomers sometimes deduce that a planet must exist in a certain spot, even if they can't actually see it. The Appliance Computer is one of many tech products in that same vein. Even in the year 2000, multiple family members had their own computers and their own handhelds. It was very, very easy to make a rational argument that a simple, affordable computer stationed in the most accessible and heavily-trafficked room in the house would be a big hit.
But in the end, there's only one metric that means anything: sales.
Audrey wasn't a bad computer at all. A $499 color touchscreen-based computer that designed to be more of a consumer item than a serious computer? Sounds vaguely-familiar...