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.