HAL_404
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2018
- Messages
- 1,240
I've been guilty of making "why does it cost so much" comments (mostly for used stuff though) but today I came across the Heathkit ES-400 circa 1950's and it helped put my perspective on PC hardware pricing back to a much more appreciative perspective.
Heathkit ES-400 computer in the 1950's cost $945 for the "complete" kit (you had to build it yourself). Adjusting for inflation that's about $9k today (US currency) and it couldn't run most anything, let alone a single game like Pong or Space Invaders
imagine if folks today had to pay $9k and had to put it together themselves (do all the vacuum tube socket wiring, switches, jacks, knobs and all the associated wiring, etc)
Heathkit ES-400 Catalog with prices ... http://s3data.computerhistory.org/brochures/heath.analog.1956.102646297.pdf
Perfect device to have running during the winter months
Heathkit ES-400 computer in the 1950's cost $945 for the "complete" kit (you had to build it yourself). Adjusting for inflation that's about $9k today (US currency) and it couldn't run most anything, let alone a single game like Pong or Space Invaders
imagine if folks today had to pay $9k and had to put it together themselves (do all the vacuum tube socket wiring, switches, jacks, knobs and all the associated wiring, etc)
Heathkit ES-400 Catalog with prices ... http://s3data.computerhistory.org/brochures/heath.analog.1956.102646297.pdf
Perfect device to have running during the winter months