Consumer Electronics Get Cheaper Over Time
from the story-at-11 dept
Clearly, Memorial Day weekend was a bit slow for some reporters. Over at the San Jose Mercury News, someone realized that consumer electronics get cheaper over time and worried about "deflation". A few economists quickly set the guy straight, pointing out that price decreases from advancing technology isn't a bad thing - but actually bodes well for the economy, and has nothing to do with deflation. At the end of the article, though, the writer looked up some interesting tech prices for comparison between now and 1997. A 2.1 gig hard drive in 1997 was $179 whereas, these days, you can pick up a 200 gig hard drive for $139 for example. He also mentions all the devices that weren't (widely) available in 1997, like flat-panel LCDs, MP3 players, USB key-chain hard drives, and WiFi networking equipment.
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What if they actually go up?
I remember the mid-90s when a great, reliable tape recorder for recording lectures could be bought for $10. Today, 1. tape recorders are hard to find, and start at $50; 2. the "digital" recorders (again hard to find) start at $50.
I remember the mid-90s when disposable cameras could be bought for $10. Today, retailers are phasing out disposable cameras and forcing customers to buy digital cameras that start at $350.
I remember the mid-90s when great monitors could be bought for $300. Today, you have a choice between fuzzy monitors at $300, fuzzy "flat screen" monitors at $1000, or good video monitors at $2,000.
I remember the mid-90s when the cheapest CD player cost $100. Today, it still costs $100, and the selection is poorer; retailers are showing some confusion as to whether to phase out CD players or not.
I remember the mid-90s when a turntable could be bought for $30, but today they start at $400.
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Re: What if they actually go up?
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Re: What if they actually go up?
>I've seen them selling for $100 with built-in VCR around here < br>
Was it 27 inches?
>I bought my digital camera for the same price that I bought my last film camera. And I remember paying more than $10 for the disposable cameras that I bought for my wedding two years ago
Still, where are the $10 disposable digital cameras?
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