Rick Dickinson, ZX Spectrum designer, RIP

[Eric Smith]

On Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 3:03 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> Apple][ was $1298, and discounts were very rare.
> TRS-80 at $599 was less than half the price.
> Pet at $795 was barely more than half the price.
>

By connecting a CCTV monitor, I got my TRS80 new for $399.
>

The Apple II at $1298 didn't include a monitor, either, so it was actually
closer to $1500 when compared to the $599 TRS-80 or $795 PET.  One could
argue that the buyer did get significant additional value with the Apple II
in some regards, but if you were on a tight budget, the Apple II wasn't the
right machine.

By the US govt's figures, $1298 back then is equivalent to $5310 today.
Even if it was mostly better than the competition, how many of us would be
able to buy a $5300 computer today?