Anyone who is into technology, be it computers, game consoles, or smartphones, knows that the first generation of a new type of product is always expensive. Looking back at some of the breakthrough products that forged new categories in the past, many might wonder what those devices would cost in today’s dollars. Wonder no more as Compare the Market has cooked up a list of tech products and their prices over the last 43 years and adjusted them to show what they would cost in today’s money.
The product list is huge and shows that while we feel like products are insanely expensive today, many were even more out of reach of the average consumer back in the day. One example is the Motorola DynaTAC, one of the first mobile phones ever produced. All the way back in 1984, when it launched, it cost $3995. Adjust that price in today’s money, and the mobile phone would cost $9963. That certainly makes the cost of an iPhone 12 Pro look cheap by comparison.
Another product is the Apple Macintosh computer from way back in the day that launched at $2495. Adjusted to today’s money, it would cost $6222. You can certainly still spend more than that on a new PC today. Back in 1977, what every kid wanted for Christmas that year was the Atari 2600 game console. The console launched at $199 in 1977, which would be $851 in today’s money.
The list is packed with some of the most popular technology products going back to the 70s and is worth a look for those interested in technology. Looking at the list, I can certainly understand why my parents didn’t want to buy that Atari.