Since the early 2000s, the world has seen a surge in the amount of tech gadgets on the market. The first iPod was released 16 years ago and completely revolutionized the music market. Six years later, in 2007, the first iPhone was released, which would eventually lead to an influx of similarly styled smartphones by a number of different manufacturers. When first released, all of these devices were rather hard for the average consumer to afford.
However, things have since changed. From December 1997 to August 2015, personal computers dropped in price by 60 percent, computer software by 63 percent and TVs by 94 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. With this drop in price, many futuristic tech gadgets that once seemed unattainable are now completely within your means.
Here are four examples:
1. Smartphones
These days, not only are smartphones more affordable but so are service plans. Between 2009 and 2015, the dropped by 13 percent, helping these portable devices overtake traditional landlines. What are some reasons for this? As cell phones gained more use and popularity, the demand increased, meaning suppliers had to either adapt or lose profit.
Another reason for the price drop was the emergence of the used and refurbished smartphone market. No longer did consumers have to buy a brand new phone for hundreds of dollars; instead, they could spend a lot less on a phone that had some wear but was still usable.
If you decide to go this route and buy a used phone, use an IMEI checker to ensure it hasn’t been stolen. Then, you just have to get a new SIM card and choose a carrier, like T-Mobile, that will let you use the phone on its network.
2. Adobe Photoshop
If you’re involved in design or photography in any capacity, you probably already know how Adobe Photoshop has recntly become more affordable. In an effort to attract a wider customer base, the company changed to a subscription-only method in 2013. This meant subscribers had to pay $9.99 a month in order to get access to this popular program. Now, that’s far more affordable than the program’s original market price, which was about $349 for CS6.
3. Amazon Kindle
The Kindle has been around for so long that it seems rather commonplace. However, when the Kindle was released in 2007, it was a completely revolutionary idea. The first iteration cost $399 and sold out in under six hours. These days, there are several different styles of Kindle to choose from, including the classic Kindle, Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis. None of these even come close to this original price, with the classic starting at $79 and the Oasis topping the charts at $289.99.
4. Laptops
Laptops have drastically dropped in price while increasing in power and features. For example, one of the first netbooks on the market was the Sony VAIO PCG-SRX99, released in 2001. It originally cost $1,500 for 256 megabites of RAM and 20 gigabytes of storage. Today, these stats are laughable, as you can get a laptop for under $300 with far better specs. Laptops might be the technology that’s become the most affordable in recent years due to advancements in manufacturing.
As time marches on, much of the tech that’s out of your budget today will eventually drop in price. As long as you don’t have to be the first person to have a shiny new gadget, you’ll definitely be able to keep your wallet happy.
