[TheEzEzz]

I'm not a laser expert, but they seem reasonably similar and dissimilar on the surface. Lasers were first theorized in 1917, which is 43 years between theory and first demonstration. Quantum computing theory seems to date to 1980, also exactly 43 years ago from today (a neat coincidence!). In the meanwhile, plenty of applications of quantum computing have been proposed.

The main difference seems to be the gap between a demonstration prototype and a useful prototype, where a useful laser followed soon after a first demonstration, whereas a useful quantum computer requires many more qubits than a simple demonstration device.

I think there is also a bit of an unfair uphill battle that quantum computers have. They have to outcompete existing computers, which is a technology that perhaps has had more investment and refinement than any other human technology, so the bar to clear is high and may take longer. Or, maybe quantum computers will never reach that bar!