Interesting thing I learned in one of my computer classes today.
3M, the people most famous for making sticky notes, once produced about 1.5 foot in diameter computer disks. Basically CDs, but fucktons bigger. Also with a different way of writing, but I won't bore you with technical details.
Anyways, each side of these disks could hold a gig of data on EACH SIDE. According to my instructor, if 3M had kept going with this technology instead of making... Sticky notes, they would have had Blu-ray tier storage on their disks by 1990.
So, say 3M keeps making these disks. Obviously it's a bit unwieldy, but let's just say that it manages to sell and they make smaller disks in the size we have now sometime in 1986 or so, and by 1990 we have Blu-ray tier external storage technology.
How does this affect the computer industry, and the world?