Bow Regards

Imagine a world without microwave ovens. Chilling, isn't it? It's no surprise, then, to find these cooking dynamos heading the list of technologies that Americans say have improved their lives the most. Specifically, in a study recently published in Predatory Marketing: What Everyone in Business Needs to Know to Win Today's Consumer (William Morrow & Co. Inc.) by C. Britt Beemer with Robert L. Shook, the following are revealed as the top 10 technology favorites:

1. Microwave oven

2. Universal remote control (TV and VCR)

3. Garage-door opener

4. Home telephone answering machine

5. Ear thermometer

6. Breath analyzer

7. Programmable home thermostat

8. Call-waiting telephone service

9. Automatic deposit of payroll/government check

10. Supermarket price scanner

This article was originally published in the September 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bow Regards.