My first alternate timeline
In this timeline, the transistor isn't invented, however over the years many analogues of our post-1950s modern devices are developed with more primitive vacuum tube and relay technology.
Televisions develop to about mid 80s level regarding user experience (relatively big screen, color, good picture quality), except they won't have a remote control. The bulky early remote control experiments are scrapped, because they turn out to be more hassle than they worth. LCD screens and further advances are impossible, but there are experiments with projection TVs to reduce size.
Portable radios get reduced to the size of an OTL early 90s laptop computer with the development of smaller vacuum tubes.
Vinyl records remain an important method of recorded music consumption, but reel-to-reel players give way to the compact cassette.
A bulky, battery-operated vacuum tube boombox with a headphone jack is developed for portable compact cassette playing, but Walkmans are (at least for now) impossible.
CDs and MP3 players are of course, also impossible.
The quartz clock isn't invented, however electromechanical clocks, in which electricity drives the gears of a mechanical clock, so no winding is needed become popular for home use. For wristwatches, automatic-winding mechanicals become the most widespread.
Telephones remain stationary and rotary, but ubiquitous.
Cellular phones are impossible, however bulky walkie-talkies become relatively common.
CCTV security systems are developed and become widespread.
Computers remain big, complicated, expensive and power-hungry devices which are only used for military and scientific purposes. ICBMs are invented and primitive space missions are possible.
However so-called "workstations" (pseudo-computers) become widespread in offices and a dumbed-down version becomes available, but somewhat rare and expensive for home use.
These workstations are similar to the machine Winston used in the film adaptation of Orwell's 1984.
They will consist of a small television used as a monitor, a rotary telephone dial and a microphone for an interface, and a pneumatic tube delivery system for physical documents.
Each office worker is situated in a soundproof cubicle. The documents he/she has to work on are delivered via the pneumatic tube system. Instead of writing with a pen or a typewriter, he/she dictates the text into the microphone, and it is transmitted into a room full of typists, who immediately type the text they hear into a typewriter. Of course these typists are also situated in soundproof cubicles and each office worker's dictation is randomly shunted to a typist.
If the office worker requires additional information, he/she can dial the corresponding code on the phone dial and either text appears on the television or a physical document is immediately delivered to the worker via pneumatic tube.
The dumbed-down home workstations are a bit different: They have no pneumatic tube delivery system and microphone connected to them, and only consist of a television screen and a rotary telephone dial.
With this interface, someone can access newspapers, encyclopedias and other information sources by dialing the correct code on the telephone dial, effectively forming a primitive one-way "internet".
The dialed code is sent through the telephone network to a central processing station, which sends back RF signals via a cable-TV-like system to the television, and then the required text appears on the screen.
What do you think of this timeline? Do you think it's plausible? What could be the future of a world like this?