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U.S. Department of Transportation
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Triscallion_Black
Rise and Fall of Gadgets
NOTE: 2010 data are estimates and 2011 data are projections.
GRAPHIC: Alicia Parlapiano / The Washington Post - January 10, 2011
Web-connected and 3-D TVs are the buzz at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but it hasn’t even been that long since TV went digital. Here’s a look at which gadgets have gone from obscure to ubiquitous over the past 30 years, and how their prices shrank along the way:

The average price of a cellphone was about $4,000 in 1984 – and only a few people could afford one.  Sales of home phones fell as cellphones got less expensive, averaging about $200 in 2000.  Sales of standard cellphones began to fall as smartphones added features beyond calls and text messaging.

Another example is the Rise and Fall of Dedicated GPS.  Which peaked in 2008.