40 Vintage Technology Ads That Show How Society Has Come A Long Way, Especially When It Comes To Costs

Almost a hundred dollars for just a calculator—so absurd!

Sophia

• Published in Interesting
• July 12, 2022

Looking back, it's funny and heartwarmingly nostalgic at the same time that we used to have such bulky monitors and had to use joysticks just to navigate something, compared to all the updated gadgets that we have now that are much slimmer and more lightweight. Back then, we had a hard time fitting our data in multiple 10MB disks, but now, 500GB and 1TB disks can just be bought in about any gadget or tech shop you could find.

It was when technology was just on its first steps, and honestly, who knew how much would it evolve throughout the years to what it is now? At present time, we can just have our files and literally everything we need on the go just by carrying our laptops, tablets, and phones anywhere and at any time, but back then, we had to endure using Macs that resembled bulky typewriters, laptops that look like toolboxes, and routers that we were unable to hang on our walls just yet because of how stocky they are.

Gone are the days of floppy disks, landlines with answering machines, and boxy phones, because when they were just a luxury in the past, they are actually a necessity now at present time. Given that, people nowadays would be really surprised at how much technology cost back then (well, it is still expensive now but you'll get the point later on), because as much as they have progressed throughout the years and doubled the production, the value of gadgets back then was just kind of absurd,

But their prices make sense, given how hard it was to have access to these things back then. Just take a look at these vintage technology ads that will definitely make your eyebrows raise:

1. 10 Megabyte Hard Disk System: $3,695

2. Phone-Mate Answering Machine: $129.50

3. Xcomp 10mb Hard Disk: $3,398.00

4. Spartan Apple II+ Emulator: $599.00

5. Sinclair Microvision TV: $395.00

6. Osborne Computer: $1795

7. Sears Color TV: $327.88

8. The Trs-80 Micro: $3,875

9. Sinclair Zx80 With 4k Basic: $199.95

10. Westinghouse 'Big Picture Television': $269 (Today Would Be Around $2,700)

11. The Commodore 64: $600

12. Emerson Radio Corporation Television Set - 1949: $599.50

13. 1977 The Apple Ll: $1195

14. Sears Video Arcade: $178.95

15. 1984 PC Computer Unit: $5,000

16. The Trs-80 Model 4 (1983): $1,300

17. Realistic Trc-471 Transceiver: $259.95

18. Motorola Stereo Hi-Fi Coffee Table: $169.95

19. Cellphone From UK: $895

20. Imsai PC With 10mb Hard Disk, 64k Ram: $5,995.00 [$18,700 Today]

21. 1976 Apple 1: $666.66

22. A 10 Megabyte Hard Drive: $3,500

23. Betavision Video Cassette Recorder: $985.00

24. Panasonic Rx 5500 Stereo: $576.19 [$2,046 Today]

25. Jvc Hr-7300 Vidstar Vhs: $1,280.00

26. Mid-80's Seagate St4096 Memory Hard Disk: $12,000

27. A Basic Cassette Tape Recorder From Philips: $166

28. 2 Cents A Byte! Sink Your Teeth Into A Helping Of Ram Without Burning A Hole In Your Wallet. From 16-32k Ram Memory: Starting From $299

29. Bell & Howell 8mm Camera: $207.70

30. The Apf Imagination Machine A Video Game Console: $599

31. 15MB HDD: $2,500

32. Trs-80 Computer Sold In 1977: $3,450

33. Intecolor 3621 With 51k Disk Drive: $3,300.00

34. Sears 8-Digit Electronic Calculator: $98.95

35. Ampex Fr200 Tape Transport: $2,675.00

36. Tandy Ct-300 Cellular Phone: $1,499.00 [$3,116.43 Today]

37. Low-Cost Hard Disk Computer: $10k

38. The 1978 Ibm 5110: $18,000

39. Corvus Systems Inc. Mass Storage: $5,350.00

40. Atari 400 PC: $549.00

Even though these may look so expensive now compared to the features it offers back then, these ads are sure an effective way for us to realize how much society has really progressed with technological advancements throughout the decades. Just imagine using these now and calling them high-end!

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Sophia