--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a magical breakthrough when the…" description: "\"There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became cheap and we could see that everyone could afford a computer.\" — Bill Gates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg" --- # There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became… ![“There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became cheap and we could see that everyone could afford a computer.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg) > “There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became cheap and we could see that everyone could afford a computer.” [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When computers became affordable, it unlocked universal access to technology. **In simple terms:** Cheap computers opened tech to everyone. Key Takeaway Leverage affordable tech to empower people. Themes technology accessibility innovation Mood optimistic inspirational Type technological economic When to use this quote - education - business - community projects Key Concepts digital divide economic development Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure low‑cost tech is used productively? - What barriers remain after technology becomes cheap? A Different Perspective Affordability alone doesn't guarantee effective use; training is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakthrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthrough/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [The library, with its Daedalian labyrinth, mysterious hush, and faintly ominous aroma of knowledge, has been replaced by the computer's cheap glow, pesky chirp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-library-with-its-daedalian-labyrinth-mysterious-hush-and-faintly/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [If you can afford...a computer, you can afford to pay $16 for my...CD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/if-you-can-afford-a-computer-you-can-afford-to-pay-16-for-my-cd/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [A family living at the poverty level is unlikely to be able to afford a computer at home. Even with a computer, access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/a-family-living-at-the-poverty-level-is-unlikely-to-be-able-to-afford/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [My innovation message, specifically including energy, happened to be the same week that on Monday and Tuesday I announced the Breakthrough Energy Venture Group.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/my-innovation-message-specifically-including-energy-happened-to-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A breakthrough in machine learning would be worth ten Microsofts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/a-breakthrough-in-machine-learning-would-be-worth-ten-microsofts/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [ It is a high bar to say that it's more fun than working on software because the work at Microsoft that both Melinda \[Gates\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/it-is-a-high-bar-to-say-that-it-s-more-fun-than-working-on-software/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy way to factor large prime numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-obvious-mathematical-breakthrough-would-be-development-of-an-easy/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [My fascination is broadly with biology and the fact that our increased understanding of biology allows for breakthroughs in a broad set of diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/my-fascination-is-broadly-with-biology-and-the-fact-that-our/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [In a budget, how important is art versus music versus athletics versus computer programming? At the end of the day, some of those trade-offs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/in-a-budget-how-important-is-art-versus-music-versus-athletics-versus/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I remember in 1980 or 1981 looking at a list of people who had made a lot of money in the computer industry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-remember-in-1980-or-1981-looking-at-a-list-of-people-who-had-made-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Bridge is one of the last games in which the computer is not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/bridge-is-one-of-the-last-games-in-which-the-computer-is-not-better/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-computer-was-born-to-solve-problems-that-did-not-exist-before/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The hardware and the software used in the Breakthrough project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so they too can search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-hardware-and-the-software-used-in-the-breakthrough-project-will/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) > [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/) [Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/) ## More by Bill Gates > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) [Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## More Breakthrough quotes > [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/) [Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/) > [The hardware and the software used in the Breakthrough project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so they too can search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-hardware-and-the-software-used-in-the-breakthrough-project-will/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) > [Just like the breakthroughs, the bad stuff always takes you by surprise. (121)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-giles/just-like-the-breakthroughs-the-bad-stuff-always-takes-you-by/) [Gail Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-giles/) > [There are just moments when all the stars are aligned for breakthrough products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/there-are-just-moments-when-all-the-stars-are-aligned-for/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Brokenness is often the road to breakthrough. Hang in there. Your time is coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/brokenness-is-often-the-road-to-breakthrough-hang-in-there-your-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Historic changes and challenges. Breakthroughs in human knowledge and opportunity. And yet, for vast numbers across the globe, the daily realities have not altered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historic-changes-and-challenges-breakthroughs-in-human-knowledge-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Obama is hardly the first president to seek rapprochement with our adversaries and reconciliation with our enemies, of course. But his determination to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-f-hayes/obama-is-hardly-the-first-president-to-seek-rapprochement-with-our/) [Stephen F. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-f-hayes/) > [... when things get rough, a breakthrough is just on the other side of the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/when-things-get-rough-a-breakthrough-is-just-on-the-other-side-of-the/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/tonight-after-a-breakthrough-year-for-america-our-economy-is-growing/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Opposition is just proof that you're close to a major breakthrough keepgoing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-run-2/opposition-is-just-proof-that-you-re-close-to-a-major-breakthrough/) [Rev Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-run-2/) > [ Innovation is not a big breakthrough invention every time. Innovation is a constant thing. But if you don't have an innovative company \[team\], coming… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/innovation-is-not-a-big-breakthrough-invention-every-time-innovation/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [“A reset isn't going backwards; it's clearing the path to move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-rivera/a-reset-isn-t-going-backwards-it-s-clearing-the-path-to-move-forward/) [Alex Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-rivera/) > [The consensus we arrived with States for amending the Constitution to implement GST is a major breakthrough. This alone has the potential to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-consensus-we-arrived-with-states-for-amending-the-constitution-to/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Conceivably, blockchains could rely on a number of standards above the Internet's existing standards to allow a smooth bridging from one layer to another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mougayar/conceivably-blockchains-could-rely-on-a-number-of-standards-above-the/) [William Mougayar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mougayar/) [Browse all 507 Breakthrough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthrough/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became cheap and we could see that everyone could afford a computer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-the-computer-became-cheap-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breakthrough" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-the-computer-became-cheap-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/bill-gates-137_breakthrough_there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-th_2225623.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a magical breakthrough when the computer became cheap and we could see that everyone could afford…” — Bill Gates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a magical breakthrough when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-the-computer-became-cheap-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/there-was-a-magical-breakthrough-when-the-computer-became-cheap-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```