Here’s a 1989 ad from Radio Shack Canada for the Tandy CT-300 mobile phone, which went on “sale” for $1499 Canadian, an $800 price cut.
What’s that worth in 2014 dollars? If we do the math based on this data:
- In 1989, $1 Canadian was worth about $0.84 US on average (according to this PDF document from the University of British Columbia), and
- $1 in 1989 would be worth $1.91 today (according to Dave Manuel’s inflation calculator).
Then:
- The full price of the phone, $2299 Canadian, would be US$3689 in present-day money, enough to pay for 5 16GB iPhone 5S or Galaxy S5 smartphones, including sales tax.
- The sale price of the phone, $1499 Canadian, would be US$2405 in present-day money, enough to buy 3 16GB iPhone 5S or Galaxy S5 smartphones, including sales tax.
Another big difference between then and now: 28 ounces, the CT-300 is a cinder block compared to today’s phones. The “Big Two’s” flagships are much lighter: the Galaxy S5 weighs 5.11 ournces, and the iPhone 5S weighs 3.95 ounces.
And finally, there’s that “40-number memory”. The photo for just one person in your smartphone’s address book would fill the RAM allotted to that 40-number memory several times over.
Ain’t modern technology grand?
