IBM's centenary

The test of time


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Readers' comments



Big Blue may have made it to a Hundred, so a Happy Birthday is Surely Due!
But that Means Nothing, in this Weird World we're Living In!!

Peace, Love & Respect.

Tiger Feet

Besides HP also missing from this article are Intel, TSMC and Huwai. These three companies invest heavily in RandD and are focused on technology which means they are likely to remain technology giants for years to come. Also noteworthy is Cisco's recent success with UCS and Microsoft's with Kinect. It seems that the large established companies can still make an impact when they make a significant investment in RandD and bring something new to market.


IMO, this article shows a misunderstanding of Apple. Before the iPod in 2001, their market value was "just" $8 billion. The iPod was a great product - but since then, they've been a one-trick pony - improve the iPod:

iPod => add iTunes as a revenue stream => add a touch-screen to make the Touchpad => add phone functionality to make the iPhone => enlarge the screen to make the iPad. Now their market value is $307 billion.

Also IMO, they are now at the peak of their success: the iPod, which originally had no competition (it was 5 years before the Microsoft Zune appeared), is now seeing sales levels fall precipitously. They are no longer leaders in the smartphone market, and in the tablet computer market, their prices start from £500, whereas Android tablet computers start from £70 (even at this price range, they can play movies and Flash web sites), and at the higher price range, the latest version of the Android operating system (Honeycomb 3.1) is now regarded by many reviewers as having a better UI than the iPad 2. I don't know whether Apple will be around in 2111, but if they are, they won't be as big as IBM is today.

Truly Yours

By focusing on marketing slogans, The Economist fails in its mission. In the real world, businesses thrive or fail based on many circumstances, including financial conditions, legal protections, social forces, and managerial talent. Technological factors are often more tactical than strategic, and slogans are only as good as last quarter's results.

The dominant force is intention, and companies like Apple that intend to deliver unsurpassed user benefits--and deliver them--are sure to find many loyal customers. Companies that intend to lie, exploit customers, cheat competitors, falsify financials, bribe politicians, and pollute the environment are bound to fail.

Eric A Blair

Isn't about time someone took another antitrust swing at Microsoft. I know its been in quite a bit of trouble either side of the Atlantic, but no one has actually tried to make it easier for other companies to sell operating systems to consumers. Presumably any country could try and force Microsoft to unbundle Windows from the hardware it runs on (or at least give consumers the option), which I think would make a considerable difference. Given that you're reading The Economist you'll presumably agree with me that this should result in a considerable improvement in price and quality and would also be a good way to encourage the local technology industry in any country that tried this by opening up a new market.

Eulogio B.

It´s striking how Big Blue has to be compared with teenagers (or babies) for comparisons. The other obvious candidate for a centenary is missing, though: HP. Anyone interested on corporate history uses to pay deep respect to them both.
What is Facebook even mentioned?! It has to survive, first, the next five years, a century is a long, long shot. By listing it as a candidate the article is putting it´s own vigency at deep risk: Imagine how it would look today a statement made at 2001 of the sort of "ICQ looks like a good bet for a centenary birthday"... and it´s been just 10 years.
Of course Facebook can do it through the corporate ages, but it´s so early to even suggest it.


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