The Holy Trinity Speed, Scale and User Adoption

Expeditious communications are the lifeblood of economies. New information moves markets, installs new governments, drives movements on social media platforms and spreads valuable information, about a plethora of issues that matter to business and people.     

The importance of the rapid diffusion of new technologies, across large geographies, and its wide adoption by users cannot be underestimated. These universal truths are not new and were well known in the ancient world. It was critical to the success of empires in the East and West.

In the ancient world road networks, staging posts, an army to secure and hold new territory, and a local elite educated in the ways of their new rulers. Were vital to ensure the speedy transmission of messages across, empires and to maintain their stability.

The ability to harness, speedy communications, across vast distances, facilitated the ascent of major cities, in the ancient world. Such as Rome, in Italy, Constantinople in Turkey, Baghdad, in Iraq, Chang’an, in China, Athens, in Greece, Alexandria, in Egypt, and Varanasi, in India.   These cities became the epicentres of commerce, culture and learning.     

For technology firms, these universal truths still hold today.

The Personal Computer Industry

Sometimes, being first to market is critical to success. This is absolutely true regarding the personal computing industry.  The computer industry is nearly 40 years old. It has contributed considerably to the growth of the knowledge economy.  

Innovation and the accumulation of knowledge, are key drivers of commercial success in the technology age.  Companies in the USA dominated the first 30 years of the industry. Why?