4 ms·

The one thing that is consistent about tech is that prices come down. A 3d printer in 2012 was $2000... a 3d printer that can be that printer is about $300 tod

The one thing that is consistent about tech is that prices come down. A 3d printer in 2012 was $2000... a 3d printer that can be that printer is about $300 today. A decent drone was about $3000 back there... $400 can you get you a decent drone today.

benja123 6y ago
This is true. Another thing that drove the prices down is the fact that the countries where we outsourced manufacturing have built up their own industry and know how. They are now selling the same products for half the price directly to the consumer.
tartoran 6y ago
And $20 can get you an amazingly fun kiddie drone. Got for my son a HS drone and was amazed at what you can get for 20. Yes, prices’ drop is a big one on technology evolution
Aachen 6y ago
DRAM would like to have a word with you. And I can't say laptops have improved much for a decade now (you'll see an increase in quality per euro still, but it's very marginal and not a single component made leaps), I was rather disappointed when getting a new one after my 2011 model. Back in the good old days, three years would go by and I'd love the speed of a new one, or of ssds, or the gigabit ethernet, or the 802.11n. Smartphones too. 2011->2017 changed big time - in hardware at least. But now it doesn't really matter if you get a 250 or a 1000 euro phone. You'll get a better camera and some gimmicks like oled (objectively better, I went from oled to lcd and it bothered me for weeks, but honestly I'll use a phone for years, I'm used to it now, and don't miss it at all anymore) or usb-c. Can't do much more without reducing battery life or other aspects. And sometimes they do -- make a worse phone with better specs I mean. People don't mind because it's all the same anyway, the tech is stagnating there. As a rule, you're right, but the exceptions and limitations are also everywhere.
- fomine3 6y ago
  > But now it doesn't really matter if you get a 250 or a 1000 euro phone. That's the OP's point.
asdff 6y ago
Sure, things that were produced by teensy niche companies got cheap when the met the economy of scale. That's true for everything, not just tech. On the other hand, phones are way more expensive today than when the original iPhone came out for 'just' $499, while wages have held steady over that time.
- tonyedgecombe 6y ago
  The iPhone SE is $399 and is a massive improvement over the original iPhone. What has happened over that period is people's expectations have inflated (with some help from the marketers). Oh and wage growth over that period has been reasonably strong (until 2020): https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=unitedstawaggro&v=202104092315V20200908&d1=20110415&h=300&w=600 https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=unitedstawagg...
Tepix 6y ago
With 3D printers, it's not so much the price that's an issue. It takes away a lot of space and it needs calibrating, adjusting etc. To me (very occasional user) it seems like going to a fab lab and using their $3000 3d printer is the better option.

benja123 6y ago

This is true. Another thing that drove the prices down is the fact that the countries where we outsourced manufacturing have built up their own industry and know how. They are now selling the same products for half the price directly to the consumer.

tartoran 6y ago

And $20 can get you an amazingly fun kiddie drone. Got for my son a HS drone and was amazed at what you can get for 20. Yes, prices’ drop is a big one on technology evolution

Aachen 6y ago

DRAM would like to have a word with you. And I can't say laptops have improved much for a decade now (you'll see an increase in quality per euro still, but it's very marginal and not a single component made leaps), I was rather disappointed when getting a new one after my 2011 model. Back in the good old days, three years would go by and I'd love the speed of a new one, or of ssds, or the gigabit ethernet, or the 802.11n. Smartphones too. 2011->2017 changed big time - in hardware at least. But now it doesn't really matter if you get a 250 or a 1000 euro phone. You'll get a better camera and some gimmicks like oled (objectively better, I went from oled to lcd and it bothered me for weeks, but honestly I'll use a phone for years, I'm used to it now, and don't miss it at all anymore) or usb-c. Can't do much more without reducing battery life or other aspects. And sometimes they do -- make a worse phone with better specs I mean. People don't mind because it's all the same anyway, the tech is stagnating there. As a rule, you're right, but the exceptions and limitations are also everywhere.

fomine3 6y ago
> But now it doesn't really matter if you get a 250 or a 1000 euro phone. That's the OP's point.

asdff 6y ago

Sure, things that were produced by teensy niche companies got cheap when the met the economy of scale. That's true for everything, not just tech. On the other hand, phones are way more expensive today than when the original iPhone came out for 'just' $499, while wages have held steady over that time.

tonyedgecombe 6y ago
The iPhone SE is $399 and is a massive improvement over the original iPhone. What has happened over that period is people's expectations have inflated (with some help from the marketers). Oh and wage growth over that period has been reasonably strong (until 2020): https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=unitedstawaggro&v=202104092315V20200908&d1=20110415&h=300&w=600 https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=unitedstawagg...

Tepix 6y ago

With 3D printers, it's not so much the price that's an issue. It takes away a lot of space and it needs calibrating, adjusting etc. To me (very occasional user) it seems like going to a fab lab and using their $3000 3d printer is the better option.