Lucky wrote:
"John S." wrote in message
oups.com...

Joe Analssandrini wrote:
Dear John,

Do you realize just how much $49.95 was in 1955?

It's amazing what has been accomplished in electronics in the last
fifty years, both in regard to product and price, not even to mention
reliability.

Best,

Joe

I know...$49.95 was a lot, but according to Reid, it was still less
than comparable tube based portables. I remember listening to the 1959
Dodgers using a Sony transistor and an earplug. And to think we can
buy Radio Shack Color Radios for $5.00 And yes, reliability of
electronic products combined with low cost is such that repair shops
are fast disappearing.

I remember when the first TI LED display handheld calculators were
distributed in my office in 1971. At a price of $200.00 they were
inventoried and depreciated!


Hi John and guys

I remember when VCR's and DVD players first came out. They were like $1000.
Now you not only can buy one for $40, they are on there way out. Technology
is like a commodity actually. When it comes out, it's new technology
"technically" speaking. But once it's marketed to the masses, it becomes a
commodity "technically" speaking.

It will be the same with plasma T.V.s Once like $20k, prices have come down
a lot. In a few years you'll be able to buy one much, much cheaper. I want
one!

Oh, yeah, I remember when the Sony Betamax came out and one of my
neighbors, being an early adopter of technology was willing to shell
out $1K for that box. I waited until 1986 or so and paid the princely
sum of $125.00 or so.

I'll wait for the high res big screen TV's to drop in price, as they
certainly will when the volume gets up enough to allow price cutting.

When the IC first came out in 1960 or so, it cost about 3x more than a
standard circuit so it looked like it would never be cost effective.
It took the unlimited budgets of the space program to fund development
of efficient production lines and drop the cost per IC. Largely
because of cost IBM didn't switch from wire-based core memory to chip
memory until almost to 1970. By then the IC was making headway in many
consumer products largely due to a lot of government funded R&D.