That 1981 prediction that home computers would never catch on because 'people don't need data in their kitchen'

Richard Mason · 2026-10-26T14:15:06.01892+00:00

I was digging through some old magazines at a library sale in Dayton last month and found a copy of a computer magazine from 1981. The whole feature was asking readers to write in about why home computers were a fad, and one guy's letter said the machines would flop because 'nobody needs to do math while standing at their stove.' He honestly believed the average family would have no reason to keep any data in the kitchen. I paid 50 cents for it and laughed the whole drive home, since I'm guessing that same guy later owned like four tablets. There was also a sidebar where the editors polled salesman at a mall in Ohio and most of them picked the typewriter over the PC for kids. Funny thing is, my own grandma kept a recipe box and a calculator taped to her fridge for 30 years, so maybe she was that guy's target customer. I keep the page taped above my desk now for a cheap laugh. Has anyone else found a print prediction this funny, and what did it say?

🐿️Pinecone Attack

Loading…

That 1981 prediction that home computers would never catch on because 'people don't need data in their kitchen' | Bad Tech Predictions - Pinecone Attack