This seems to be the "classic" story told whenever modern productivity growth is discussed - "electricity took a long time to show up in the productivity figures so it's not surprising {computers, internet} is taking a long time to show up also".<p>On the other hand, some technologies - especially military ones - have transformed specific sectors very fast. We go rapidly from the first powered flight to WWI dogfights, Dreadnought requires the world powers to rebuild their navies, penicillin transforms survival rates for bacterial infections, radar (in the UK) goes from a proof of concept in 1935 to a fully deployed system that changes the outcome of WWII in 1940. And these are just a few examples.