Here's the thing about Watson: this is a production model computer. It is not just a one-time tour de force computer that beats the world chess champion or wins at Jeopardy.
I do not know if the prototype model that won at Jeopardy is what IBM will sell, but it is clear they intend to start selling machines based on this technology, with this kind of computing power. They are selling them for practical applications, for real money. This is not a laboratory curiosity. This puts IBM back in the leading role in the computer business. IBM has never had the most advanced, cutting edge technology. That was never their forte. They had the most reliable and the most practical machines up until the late 1980s. Now they are positioning themselves at the cutting edge. >From a business point of view I would say this is remarkable, and I would say they have guts. - Jed
