
ZX Spectrum: 30 years old, and still one of the cheapest computers ever made - evo_9
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/127109-zx-spectrum-30-years-old-and-still-one-of-the-cheapest-computers-ever-made
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TylerE
Not really.

$200 in 1982 = $475 in today's money. You can buy many, many systems for that
kind of money.

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mrsebastian
Aye, very good point -- I'll update the story to reflect that.

I still think it's surprising that there are very few computers that are
_really_ cheap (like the Raspberry Pi).

The difference in computing power/packaging size/etc between 1982 and 2012 is
far greater than the price difference the ZX Spectrum and, say, a netbook.
Even the $25 Raspberry Pi is probably (relatively) expensive compared to the
ZX Spectrum.

edit: I mean, a really cheap home computer today is around $300 -- just $150
less than an inflation-adjusted ZX Spectrum.

I guess there's more to a modern computer (bigger case, drives, expansion
slots, etc.) but there's still a big price disparity. I guess I'm just
surprised that it took this long for something like the Raspberry Pi to
arrive.

~~~
rbanffy
Prices will only go down to the point where enough people are willing to pay
enough to make the product viable. When that price point is reached, the
machines gain new capabilities instead of dropping further in price.

Another factor is software compatibility - if you design a machine that has
capabilities similar to an entry level PC but can't run Windows, your market
is much reduced. That's the main reason why this is an x86-dominated world
that only recently became multi-core and 64-bit. This is another reason why
PCs gained capabilities instead of lower prices - PC makers have to future-
proof their products by making them compatible with future versions of
Windows.

In order to compensate for that, you will have to go the Raspberry Pi route
and build something where compatibility is not important and hitch a ride with
a competing software ecosystem.

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evilswan
Just total nonsense which makes no mention of either general inflation or the
price-deflation of consumer electronics. My parents saved up to buy my
Spectrum when I was a kid. Now, a parent could get a laptop off eBay for $50
and install Linux. Computers are WAY cheaper now than they were then. _sigh_

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drcongo
This article manages to cram a very very poor iPhone reference in just so they
can tag the post with "Apple" and "iPhone" and get some extra page views and
ad impressions. Dreadful "journalism".

