Abstract
In the 1960s, AT&T and its manufacturing subsidiary, Western Electric Co., became convinced that the next big thing would be a video telephone on every desk. With great fanfare, AT&T launched the first Picturephone service in 1970, confidently predicting a million sets in use within the decade. But the offering was a spectacular flop. Its failure can be variously attributed to networking issues (it only worked if the person you were calling also had one); high cost (a lease was US $160 a month-about $970 in today's dollars); and, most damning, general dislike. The Picturephone was, by default, always on, and people just did not want to be seen all the time.
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