Quote:
Originally Posted by Number 3
Are you considering that the "governement interference" is only a portion of that adjusted cost increase? Much of it is technology improvements that arguably we would want and pay for that weren't available then.
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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.