Prior to VisiCalc, personal computers were basically novelties kids played games on. But the electronic spreadsheet, which let non-mathematicians manipulate hundreds of numbers with a single keystroke, showed how a computer was invaluable. Businesses raced to buy them.
Even Apple (AAPL) co-founder Steve Jobs said that VisiCalc software, originally written for the Apple II computer, “propelled the company’s success more than any other single event.” Jobs said that “If VisiCalc had been written for some other computer, you’d be interviewing someone else right now.”