Some things are so unexpected that no one is prepared for them.

This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. A Western Union internal memo, 1876

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers",  by Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM

In 1959, IBM said to Xerox that "The world potential market for copying machines is 5,000, at most.”

A anonymous publisher said about Harry Potter in 1996 that " Children just aren’t interested in witches and wizards anymore.”

H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927 : "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?  

The prominent business magazine Business Week in 1968 wrote : "With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market."

"[Apple's iPhone] is the most expensive phone in the world and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard which makes it not a very good e-mail machine…". Steve Balmer, then CEO of Microsoft when the iPhone launched in 2007.