What fundamental difference does the text suggest separates inventing the device from building the 'line' system?
Invention of the device versus building the dedicated, reliable line and routing system.
The historical timeline reveals a significant gap between achieving the scientific miracle of transmitting speech and establishing a comprehensive communication utility. Inventing the device itself, completed by Bell and his associates in March 1876 following the patent award, is described as one monumental feat. However, building the infrastructure—specifically creating the dedicated, reliable line and the complex system required to route those lines through a public switching system (achieved by 1878)—is presented as an entirely different, massive engineering and logistical undertaking. This difference highlights that creating the technology and deploying the necessary civil engineering network are distinct challenges.
