Christmas Electronic Gifts: When Color TV’s Cost as Much as a New Car
Tis the season to lose all reason, with the annual mass
“Santa” consumer migration to local malls in search of the “perfect” Christmas present. Electronics gifts such High Definition tv sets, video games, and cell phones are the “rage”, even in these times of economic turmoil. We did some research to see how much of a hit “Santa” wallets and pocket books took when these items were originally introduced.
In the 1940′s, Christmas shoppers looking to buy the very first black and white televisions could choose between tabletop or console models. A 1948 10″ RCA tabletop tv cost $325, while a 10″ Admiral console tv was $499, a pretty penny in the post-WWII days.
In 1954, RCA introduced their first color television set, the 15″ RCA Victor, to consumers. The set, at $1,000, cost as much as a new Chevy. By 1960, the cost of an RCA color set had gone down, while the size of the set had gone up: a 21″ RCA color tv cost $495.
In the 1980′s tv’s went “mini”: a 1987 2″ B&W Sony Watchman cost $180 while a 1985 3″ color Casio LCD was priced around $300.
The 2″ Sony Watchman can now be found on EBay under “vintage” tv’s for the “buy it now” price of $20.
This season’s “must have” tv is High Definition. It wasn’t that long ago, 1998, when the first high definition tv’s were mass marketed to consumers. Putting a high-def tv under one’s Xmas tree was much more costly than today, a rear monitor 56″ Panasonic high definition tv sold for $5500. The digital decoder box cost an additional $1500. A 1998 “Santa” would have had to spent $7000 for a high def setup.
This season Santa can find great HDTV’s at his/her local Walmart such as the Phillips 42″ LCD HDTV retailing at $897. Unlike the heavy rear console 56″ Panasonic, which wouldn’t fit down a chimney, current HDTV’s are slim and sleek. The Phillips weighs 62.92 pds and measures 41.2″ x 10.32″ x 28.2″ with the high def decoder built into the set.
According to Amazon, Sony’s PlayStation 3 80 GB Motorstorm Pack, at $753.80, is one of this season’s “hottest gifts” along with Microsoft’s XBox 360, at $399.95.
Pong, anyone?
Eons ago, in 1975, before Sony PlayStation came into play, the “must have” for Xmas first home video game hit the shelves: Atari’s “PONG”, which retailed at $100.
Another “hot gift” for this Xmas is Apple’s IPhone 3G. According to Silicon Alley Insider, the IPhone has been outselling even the cell phones that are “free”.
Apple’s iPhone was the best-selling cellphone in the U.S. last quarter, surpassing Motorola’s dirt-cheap, second-place Razr, which has been the top-selling phone for the last 3 years, according to research firm NPD Group. RIM’s (RIMM) BlackBerry Curve came in third place, followed by two LG phones, which rounded out the top five.
The Apple IPhone is loaded with features: you can surf the web and download data while chatting on a phone that weighs less than 5 ounces, much less than its predecessor, Motorola’s 1 pd, 12 oz, DynaTAC 8000X.
Motorola introduced the first commercial handheld cellular phone in 1984, the DynaTAC 8000X, which retailed at $3995. The DynaTAC measured 13 x 1.75 x 3.995. Users were limited by the lack of cell phone coverage.
The Apple IPhone 3G retail price “starts” at $199. Relatively cheap in price compared to the Motorola DynaTAC which cost Santas in 1984 a bigger chunk of change: $3995.
So while today’s Santas are feeling the credit card burn, former Santas in search of the perfect gift such as a 1940′s black and white tv, or a new fangled handheld portable phone in 1984, and a high def tv in 1998, had to reach deeper into their red velvet Santa suit pocket.
By LBG
Source – tv history
Image – Santa
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