Prices for popular electronics of the past in today's money: the 1980s

In the 1980s, most desktop and laptop computers were only priced for corporate clients. But there were also consumer devices, the cost of which was already lifting for average buyers. Otherwise, there were sets for self-assembly.

Game consoles, on the other hand, have already become more accessible means of entertainment than in the 1970s.

Let's look at the prices of electronics of the 1980s - the time when the first commercial mobile phones, laptops and game consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Mega Drive appeared.

Start:
Prices for popular electronics of the past in today's money: 1970s

Computers

Sinclair ZX80

In 1978, Sinclair released its first single board microcomputer, the Mk14, and sold twenty thousand copies. Two years later, the company began to produce a personal computer ZX80. It was the first computer in the UK, the price for which did not exceed £ 100. The price of the ZX80 was $ 199.95, which in 2016 is $ 595.

Commodore VIC-20

The first microcomputer, to overcome the mark of a million copies sold, was the Commodore VIC-20. Did it make sense to buy a video game, if for the same money you can buy a computer? William Shetner from Star Trek participated in the ad. Initially, the cost of VIC-20 was 299 dollars, but it was reduced to 55 dollars - that is, below cost.

Translated into today's money, the price of a computer started from 892 dollars, and then dropped to 164 dollars.

Ibm pc

If in 1975 you could buy an IBM 5100 portable personal computer for $ 20,000 - that is, $ 91,000 at prices of 2016, then in 1981 the first mainstream PC from the corporation, IBM PC, would cost only $ 3005 in top configuration. This is about 8,130 dollars for 2016.

The device worked on an Intel 8088, 4.77 MHz processor. Software - IBM Basic.

Texas Instruments TI-99 / 4A

In 1981, Texas Instruments released the TI-99 / 4A computer, capable of displaying 16 colors at a resolution of 512 × 424 or 256 colors at a resolution of 256 × 424. The device worked on a TI TMS9900 3.0 MHz processor, had 256 bytes of RAM and 16 KB of video memory. It was one of the first 16-bit home computers.

The computer cost 525 dollars, which today is equal to 1420 dollars.

Sinclair ZX81 and Spectrum

From 1981 to 1983, Sinclair produced the ZX81 computer as a set for self-assembly or in assembled form. The computer worked on the Zilog Z80 processor (3.25 MHz) or its equivalent from NEC - μPD780C-1. The screen displayed text in 24 lines of 32 characters. ZX81 could simulate a graphics mode of 64 × 48 pixels.

The assembled computer cost 69.99 pounds sterling, which in 2015 was 242 pounds (the Bank of England only provides a calculator until 2015).

ZX Spectrum became the successor to the ZX80 in 1982. It was a color home computer, which was affectionately nicknamed "Speccy." The device became the best-selling English computer, and the founder of Sinclair Research Ltd Clive Sinclair became the "Knight of the Royal Order" with the rank of "Sir" for his contribution to the development of British industry.

The cost of the computer was 175 pounds - today it is 557 pounds.

Spectrum produced until 1992. In the first 17 months alone, the company sold a million cars. The main competitor to the ZX Spectrum in Europe was the Commodore 64.

Commodore 64

Personal computer Commodore 64 produced from 1982 to 1994. He worked on the processor MOS Technology 6510 (0.9 or 1.023 MHz), had 64 KB of memory with the possibility of expanding up to 16 MB and was in color. A special VIC II processor allowed displaying 16 shades on a screen of 320x200 pixels in the two-color mode or 160x200 in the four-color mode. For text mode, vertical and horizontal smooth screen scrolling was supported. A special SID processor was responsible for the sound: the computer had 3 voices for 8 octaves each and filters, which made it possible to use it as a full-fledged synthesizer.

The price of a computer started at $ 595, which is $ 1,518 for 2016. A total of 15 million copies were sold.

Apple Lisa and Macintosh

Computer Apple Lisa Steve Jobs named after his daughter. If you read his biography, you should remember that Jobs refused to recognize paternity, providing the court with documents confirming his sterility. Over time, Jobs acknowledged paternity.

The computer worked on a Motorola 68000 5 MHz processor, supported up to 2 MB of RAM and had a 5 MB hard drive in the kit.

The cost of the Apple Lisa started at $ 9,995. Today it is $ 24,690 - a bit expensive for a personal computer. The computer was sold from 1983 until 1986.

Young Kevin Costner appeared in an advertisement for the Apple Lisa in 1983.

The first Macintosh Apple released in early 1984. It was one of the first personal computers with a graphical user interface. Although before him there were analogues with a graphics mode, including Xerox Star. The line that started from this computer is still being released.

The original Macintosh line used Motorola processors, which they later changed to IBM PowerPC.

The cost of a Macintosh started at $ 2,495. Today it is 5,908 dollars. The computer was delivered with a mouse-type manipulator, a novelty at that time.

Do you recognize the people in this photo?

Tandy 1000 and 1200 HD

In 1984, Tandy began selling the Tandy 1000 based on the Intel 8088-2 7.16 MHz processor. The computer was equipped with one or two floppy drives, ports for a light pen and for headphones.

The Tandy 1000 cost starts at $ 1,199. Translated into money in 2016, it is 2839 dollars.

A year later, Tandy decided to improve the existing model and added a hard disk of 10 megabytes to it, equipped with 256 KB of RAM with the possibility of increasing to 640 KB. Additionally, a color monitor was available.

The computer cost 1 999 dollars. Today it is 4 571 dollars.

IBM 5160

Computer IBM 5160 - the second generation of IBM PC. It was made on the basis of the Intel 8088 processor since 1983. The computer had a hard disk with a capacity of 10 MB, 128 or 256 KB of RAM and a monochrome or 16-color monitor.

The price of the car started at $ 8,000. Today it is 19,760 dollars.

AGAT-4

In the USSR, since 1984, a training computer was mass-produced on the Apple DOS 3.3 operating system — AGAT-4. He worked on an 8-bit processor with a clock frequency of 1 MHz.

The computer cost 4,000 rubles. Russian legislation for calculating pensions in 2001 established the average salary in the USSR for 1984 in the amount of 193 rubles 20 kopecks. That is, one such computer would cost 30 salaries. In 2016, the average pay in Russia was 32,122 rubles, and 30 wages — more than 900,000 rubles.

Compaq DeskPro 386

The first personal computer running the new 32-bit Intel 80386 processor was the Compaq DeskPro 386, released in 1986. Compaq overtook IBM by seven months.

The computer cost 5,000 dollars, today it is 11,220 dollars.

IBM PS / 2

In 1987, IBM released the PS / 2 on Intel 80286 and Intel 80386 processors. The computer series achieved success in the corporate segment, but could not get a tangible advantage in the consumer market.

The cost of the computer was 2 295 dollars - 4 968 dollars for 2016, taking into account inflation.

NeXT Computer

The creation of Steve Jobs NeXT Computer with a UNIX-like operating system NeXTSTEP was sold from 1988 to 1990, but did not have commercial success. This is largely due to the price of $ 9,999. Taking into account inflation for today it is 20,800 dollars.

The model itself was interesting in the amount of RAM of 64 megabytes and the screen resolution of 1120x843 pixels, which is more than the standard resolution of the monitors of the mid-1990s.

Portable computers

Osborne-1

In the 1980s, the first commercially successful portable computers appeared. Their history opened Osborne-1, which was produced from 1981 to 1983. He could boast of a 5-inch display, Zilog Z80A 4 MHz processor, 64 KB of RAM, two drives for 5.25 disks. Weighed this car 11 pounds.

The computer came with a text editor, spreadsheet processor, business applications, games and other programs.

The cost of Osborne-1 started with $ 1,795. Today it is 4 856 dollars. In the first eight months, the company sold 11,000 copies, and during peak periods it sold up to 10,000 copies per month.

Compaq PORTABLE

In 1983, Compaq PORTABLE went on sale. It has become one of the fully compatible with IBM PC laptops.

The computer cost 2 995 dollars, today it is 6 721 dollars.

Sharp PC-5000

The Sharp PC-500 laptop weighed 5 kilograms, that is, two times smaller than the Osborne-1. The model worked on an Intel 8088 4.77 MHz processor, had from 128 to 512 KB of RAM and a built-in screen with a resolution of 640 by 80 pixels.

Information about its price could not be found.

Commodore SX-64

The era of color laptops opened Commodore SX-64, released in 1983. He had a CRT screen with a diagonal of 12.7 centimeters with a resolution of 320x200 pixels. The car weighed 10.5 kilograms.

At the start of sales Commodore SX-64 was worth $ 995. Today it is 2 457 dollars. The model did not have commercial success; only a few thousand copies were released, but it had to be mentioned because of the color screen.

IBM PC Convertible

The PC Convertible was the first laptop from IBM. The computer worked on the processor 80s88 4.77 MHz, had 256 KB of RAM and was equipped with a carrying handle. It was one of the first Transformers laptops: its display could be unfastened.

The computer started selling in 1986 at a price of 2,000 dollars. Today it is 4 488 dollars.

NEC UltraLite

The word “laptop” was first used in PC Magazine in 1989, in an article about the NEC UltraLite computer. The concept made it possible to distinguish portable computers the size of an A4 sheet from bulky laptops.

The model worked on the NEC V30 4.92 MHz processor, had 640 KB of RAM.

The cost of NEC UltraLite started at 4,000 dollars. Today it is 8,320 dollars.

Apple Macintosh Portable

In 1989, Apple released Macintosh Portable. It was a portable computer on a 16 MHz processor, with 1 megabyte of RAM and a 9.8-inch display with a resolution of 640x400 pixels. The car weighed 7.2 kilograms.

The cost of Macintosh Portable started at $ 7,300, today it is $ 14,490.

Telephones

Motorola DynaTAC

In the 1980s, mobile phones were large, solid devices, sometimes inseparable from a car. The first commercial cell phone call was made on October 13, 1983, this was the Motorola DynaTAC device.

The device weighed 1.15 kilograms, had a red LED display, worked for 35 minutes in talk mode and 8 hours in standby mode. The phone could memorize up to 30 numbers.

The price in 1983 was 3,995 dollars. This is 9,867 dollars for today.

Shot from the film "Wall Street", 1987

Radio Shack CT-200 and CT-300

The "car" phone in the truest sense of the word was the Radio Shack CT-200: "It is convenient to carry from car to car or carry with you." This device has been sold since 1988 at a price of $ 1,199, which, taking into account inflation for 2016, is 2,494 dollars.

In the same year, sales of a more compact version of the phone began - Radio Shack CT-300. It cost more - $ 1,499, in today's money - $ 3,118.

Gaming consoles

Sega Game 1000

In 1981, sales of the Sega Game 1000 game console started in Japan. This was the first step of the company in the home game console market, which it did not leave until the end of the Sega Dreamcast support in 2001. The prefix became the basis for the Sega Master System.

ColecoVision

A gaming console with features like ColecoVision gaming machines could boast the ability to play cartridges from their competitors - for example, the Atari 2600. In total, over two million copies of the console were sold from 1982 to 1985. Among the bestseller games was Donkey Kong. The console had additional modules, including the steering wheel.

Famicom / NES

In 1983, the first third-generation gaming console appeared - the eight-bit Famicom, known in Russia as Dendy. In Europe and the United States, it appeared in 1985 under the Nintendo Entertainment System brand.

The most popular game, Super Mario Bros., gave Nintendo the mascot - Mario.

Total in the world has sold more than 61 million consoles. It is not known how many clones have been sold yet.

The price for NES in the USA in 1985 was $ 299. Today it is 683 dollars.

In Russia, the Dendy prefix was sold in the 1990s. In 1992, it cost 39,000 rubles. Taking into account the denomination of 1998, today it is about 66,000 rubles.

Sega Mega Drive (Genesis)

The fourth generation of gaming consoles began with 16-bit systems. The first was the NEC PC Engine, but then the whole market began to divide between themselves Sega and Nintendo.

Sega Mega Drive appeared in 1988, but is still being sold in a number of countries, including the USA. Total sold more than 39.7 million copies.

Sega's main talisman is Sonic the Hedgehog.

In the United States in 1989, the prefix cost 200 dollars, today it is about 396 dollars.

Sexual undertones are sometimes used in commercials. And not only from Sega.

For calculating the cost used calculator Wolphram Alpha .