Quote:
Originally Posted by Lou_Dorchen
The BellSouth/IBM Simon Personal Communicator was released in 1993. The Simon Personal Communicator was the first mobile phone to add PDA features. It was a phone, pager, calculator, address book, fax machine, and e-mail device in one package, albeit a 20-ounce package that cost $900.
Today I can buy a Galaxy SIII mobile phone with a 16GB memory, TouchWiz interface, it's S Voice feature can recognize 8 languages, it can play music, TV programs, podcasts, audiobooks, and surf the Internet. It also has a 1.9 megapixel camera that can also shoot HD video at 720p @ 230 frames/s.
Despite the added cost of technology improvements that weren't available back then the Galaxy SIII retails for $699.99.
So now we have a product that has numerous technological advancements and yet is cheaper in real dollars than it was 2 decades ago (when you factor in inflation, the price gap gets even bigger).
How did this happen? I have an idea! Maybe it was because the Gov't wasn't mandating to cell phone companies how long battery life had to be, drop test ratings, size and weight, what applications must be put on the phones, nor mandating what cameras must be on the phones, etc. When the private sector is unmolested, and when consumer demand drives the market, the advances in technology and drops in price will amaze you.
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You are correct and you notice I also made a similar comment that you didn't include.
However, even if Bluetooth connectivity is on $1 (and it is much more than that in your car) that is $1 more than you could have spent "back in the day". That is all the point I was trying to make.
And the example I gave on the door beams in the Japanese market must not have hit home.
But the question is, without government intervention would we have what we have today.
Remember the first airbags? GM introduced them long before they were required. No one bought them. Expensive, yes. But no sales.
It is likely that without regulations, all cars would have lights, turn signals, good brakes and accelerators that don't stick. Most of these regulations (if you understand the process, which I do) come from people complaining to the government. And all NPRMs are sent to the manufacturers for comment and it's a lengthy process.
The bigger issue seems to be emissions and fuel economy. Without regulation, would we be on the right path if left to our own devices?
Should the government play a role or any role for that matter in protecting us from ourselves? That's what most laws are intended to do. The ones that make it illegal for someone to break into your home and take your stuff we tend to like. The ones that influence what you can buy, not so much.