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Nonsense. Did you ever see an i-device get cheaper? Or a cheap car get even cheaper? There is a reason why wealth inequality has grown in recent decades, while

Nonsense. Did you ever see an i-device get cheaper? Or a cheap car get even cheaper? There is a reason why wealth inequality has grown in recent decades, while manufacturing efficiencies increased.

cglace 7y ago
Strange you chose something that is essentially a luxury item instead of commodity electronics that are cheaper than ever.
swashbuck1r 7y ago
It’s also interesting you chose a segment that is already at the slower end of reaping benefits of improved productivity. Reminded me of a NPR segment this week contrasting items that have room to become cheaper vs those that don’t. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/767095401/the-baumol-effect-and-rising-health-care-and-education-costs https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/767095401/the-baumol-effect-a...
okcando 7y ago
By analogy, you might as well be asking if I've ever seen Rolexes get cheaper. Why are you talking about Rolexes and not watches?
CDSlice 7y ago
Apple actually has made new iPhone 11 $50 cheaper than the phone it replaced. Furthermore smartphones in general _have_ been getting cheaper. It's only top of the line flagships that are getting more expensive while also being much more powerful and with better (AKA more expensive) tech inside them.
wigsby806 7y ago
The cheap car isn't the same cheap car though. Try finding a 2-door sedan with manual controls and an AM/FM radio. Even the cheapest new car has bluetooth entertainment controls and backup cameras. It also has airbags in every zone and a decent crash rating. Nobody produces the cheap base-model car of yore, if they did they could easily do so for well under 10k. But that doesn't support the bottom line especially when you have to cut in the dealership.
- bumby 7y ago
  The Nissan Versa is about as close as you can get and it comes in at about $10-11k.
- imroot 7y ago
  The NHTSA has mandated backup cameras in all vehicles sold in the US as of 2018, I believe.
- otterley 7y ago
  To be clear, cheap base-model cars are still being manufactured and sold, just not for the U.S. and other wealthy markets. They’re being sold in droves in India, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.
nazgulnarsil 7y ago
This is incorrect. The inflation adjusted price of the first smart phone is ~$600. I can get a vastly more capable device shipped to my house for $129 unlocked for any carrier. The most barebones available car has steadily dropped in price relative to average income while becoming drastically safer, more reliable, and lasting longer.

Nonsense. Did you ever see an i-device get cheaper? Or a cheap car get even cheaper? There is a reason why wealth inequality has grown in recent decades, while manufacturing efficiencies increased.

cglace 7y ago

Strange you chose something that is essentially a luxury item instead of commodity electronics that are cheaper than ever.

swashbuck1r 7y ago

It’s also interesting you chose a segment that is already at the slower end of reaping benefits of improved productivity. Reminded me of a NPR segment this week contrasting items that have room to become cheaper vs those that don’t. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/767095401/the-baumol-effect-and-rising-health-care-and-education-costs https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/767095401/the-baumol-effect-a...

okcando 7y ago

By analogy, you might as well be asking if I've ever seen Rolexes get cheaper. Why are you talking about Rolexes and not watches?

CDSlice 7y ago

Apple actually has made new iPhone 11 $50 cheaper than the phone it replaced. Furthermore smartphones in general _have_ been getting cheaper. It's only top of the line flagships that are getting more expensive while also being much more powerful and with better (AKA more expensive) tech inside them.

wigsby806 7y ago

The cheap car isn't the same cheap car though. Try finding a 2-door sedan with manual controls and an AM/FM radio. Even the cheapest new car has bluetooth entertainment controls and backup cameras. It also has airbags in every zone and a decent crash rating. Nobody produces the cheap base-model car of yore, if they did they could easily do so for well under 10k. But that doesn't support the bottom line especially when you have to cut in the dealership.

bumby 7y ago
The Nissan Versa is about as close as you can get and it comes in at about $10-11k.
imroot 7y ago
The NHTSA has mandated backup cameras in all vehicles sold in the US as of 2018, I believe.
otterley 7y ago
To be clear, cheap base-model cars are still being manufactured and sold, just not for the U.S. and other wealthy markets. They’re being sold in droves in India, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

nazgulnarsil 7y ago

This is incorrect. The inflation adjusted price of the first smart phone is ~$600. I can get a vastly more capable device shipped to my house for $129 unlocked for any carrier. The most barebones available car has steadily dropped in price relative to average income while becoming drastically safer, more reliable, and lasting longer.