What is Digg?76 Comments
- EyeNo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Don't be so sure Shakin. Back in 1991, we put in our first IBM AS400 system. 600mb drives (the size of a small suitcase and 100 pounds each) went for $34,000 Canadian. A year later they were down to $17,000 and the next year I could pick them up in bulk for $200.
To really tell my age, the AS400 replaced a IV Phase assembler system that had 120mb fixed drive and 60mb stacked platter removable disk packs. The whole thing was controlled by a 30mb source pack about the size of a pizza box.
(and before that I walked 5 miles uphill -both ways - to school and back). You kids today! - shakin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I'm not digging this because it's a lie. Most hard drives in 1985 did not look like that and they did not cost nearly $40,000. It may have cost $2000 - $3000.
The drive behind it is a miniature drive of some sort, hence the magnifier. - Anchoret, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2> BS, a 40MB harddrive in 1985 wasn't worth $40,000.
As someone who was in Silicon Valley both using computers and on the Internet even before '85, I have to agree.
There may have been something very special about that particular drive that made that a genuine price, say some bizarre MILSPEC government contract, but it wasn't representative of storage price circa 1985, any more than $400 is a representative price for 6G of 2006 storage.
More clarification is needed. No digg. - zaofreek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Anyone else notice the 6GB drive has a $400 price tag? It doesn't seem quite right...I paid $30 for my 200 gig...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1WTF since when did a 6GB HD cost $400?
- master_of_fm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1unless that was some sort of super specialzed drive for the military then it is complete BS
http://www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625/winchest.html - linuxrebel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0One small Q here. Is that 40K US? You see the website carries an IP number. (or at least a dig for the host name comes up with a UK IP) A number of countries other than the US, that speak English use the term dollar for their local currency, most even use the $ symbol as well. So if that country had a 10 to 1 exchange then it would be 40 on the 6G and 4k on the 85 model. (and btw in 85 the debate was 8 inch vs 5.25 inch floppies IIRC) Back then a floppy drive was over 100 dollars us for many systems, and black floppies ran around 2 dollars or so a piece for dual sided (720K). So given all of this, I'm not surprised by the numbers.
- redfox2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Guys
4GB Compact Flash
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171104
$330
8GB Compact Flash
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171091
$660
As for the big HDD
http://www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625/winchest.html
ok 10 MB = $710
so 40 MB = 10MB * 4
that would be at least $4,000, but wait to even cram it into one drive that would cost even more so hence $40,000
so to compare (remember guys technology advances at an semi-exponential rate)
500 GB = $300
500*4= 2TB can you find a 2 TB HDD, so now you have to pay for R&D and since it was ground breaking technology of the time, they can charge what ever they want - vdubski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"
This story is carp, but it's fun to pick it apart :) No offense to the original poster, I'm guessing you were not playing on PC's back in 1985 or you really would have found this story to be nonesense."
Yeah I was 2 in 1985, I just thought it was cool to see an old ass dinosaur drive. The first computer experience I can remember is a Commodore 64. - EAMUS1CATULI, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0this story is a bunch of bull. Lies, lies, lies
- linuxrebel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0oops forgot to add this link, an add from around 86 or 87 for a $2495 (US) 15mb HDD. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/oldharddrive.html
- sdbryan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If people want to quibble about the price of a hard drive from 1985 designed for use with a mainframe where less price sensitivity may be a factor consider the Lisa. Before Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 they introduced the Lisa in 1983. Unlike the Mac which only came with a 400K floppy drive, the Lisa was a hard drive based system and if memory serves that hard drive was 5 MB (maybe 10 MB). The system cost including everything, computer, monitor, software and hard drive was $10,000. So the component cost of a 5 MB drive in a price sensitive market was no more than that total price. That implies a price of $1,000 per MB might be accurate.
Notice also that CD's had been around a few years already (that is audio CD's while data CD's may still be a few years after 1985) and could be purchased for less than $20. That is roughly 600 MB for $20. If someone wanted to rip an audio CD to his hard drive that would take up more than $600,000 worth of capacity. No wonder few at that time could imagine how the dynamic would change in a few years. That same amount of space on today's hard drives is 25 cents and dropping. - Zanza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0danm! that thing is HUGE! if ithe hard drive is that big how big is the computer?
- Gary72, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is a bit far fetched. I bougth a Miniscrbe 3650 40 Meg Hard Drive in 1987 for $499 US ($750 Canadian, delivered to my door in Canadaa). it was my first hard drive, and it was a 5 1/4" form factor, I put it into a Tandy 1000 Model A.
2 years earlier in 1985 a 20-40 Meg harddrive wouldn't have been much mroe then twice that price. I can recall 20 Meg Hard Drive for the C64 selling in the $1000 - $1500 range back then listed in the Computer Shopper Magazine (wasn't that a great mag!!)
No digg. Not to mention, that drive looks stupid as heck. - dylanA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0my teacher was telling me his first extrnal hard rive was 80MB and he said he bought it for $400 i dont remember the year, but i just bought my first extrenal hard it was 200GB for $150. just goes to show you how much things change
- heartsinaustin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just wait till the Oompa Loompa with the shrinking camera gets ahold of the above mentioned hard drive.
- FlyingAvatar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That has to be wrong. I had a 40mb hard drive in 1987 and the whole system cost $2000-$3000. 1980, maybe.
- mistshadow2k4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0""(and before that I walked 5 miles uphill -both ways - to school and back)."
Me, too. Except I did it barefoot. (I'm from WV) :)"
And it snowed every day here too! - ajz8182, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0In 1990, I was in college. I had a Zenith computer. I bought a 20mb hard drive for $320 USD.
- crispytown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I have seen ones that are larger in size but smaller in space. The price on those I don't remember, but this one looks cool also.
I like how they have a 6GB drive from 2006 in the background. I figured it would have been a 500GB or maybe a sata drive. Maybe even a USB Pen Drive. Those got huge last year and are still growing. IE. in size and in the number of people that carry them.
Nice Digg!!!!!!! - Lykos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0BS. I got a 'MacBottom' in 1986 that was 10 megs. I think it cost around a grand. No way a year earlier the prices were that much higher.
The MacBottom was cool, same footprint as the mac and sat on the bottom. Interfaced through the parallel port and it even worked as a print spooler, but still had to boot from a floppy. - Juvenall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0From my post over there -
Here’s two things to consider here.
1) If you take inflation into account, that $40,000 in 1985 would run you around $70986.45 today.
2) Doing the math, you’re talking about $1000 per MB. Since a GB is 1024 MB, that puts the 1985 price of of that 6GB drive in the background around $6,144,000. That’s around $10,903,519.35 today. - thisnameisfake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The 6GB drive is hella small. small == more money! In the computer world that is.
- tekmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I found the 2006 hard drive more interesting tbh. Sure, hard drives aren't quite that small yet, but that is a 6GB model. Although flash memory isn't a hard drive, it is still a storage medium that is nearly that small and available 6GB. I'm sure that model was meaning that 6GB would be a normal sized hard drive, which obviously isn't true, but it's very interesting how the 6GB CF drives that are used in the iPod minis and the Samsung flash memory (2GB) used in the iPod nano is almost as small as that.
- retawd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My dad worked for Control Data in the 70s and 80s. One day I was bitching about a $200 20Gb Hd for my laptop, he laughed and told me he used to sell 300Mb drives for $10,000 and they took up a whole lot more space than 2.5 inches.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hmm..
If it doesn't cost $400 for a 6gb drive in 2006
I don't think it cost $40k for 40mb in 1985. - Egdelwonk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ eyeNo : I operate an AS400 everyday at work. Still, really great machine
- vdubski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"(and before that I walked 5 miles uphill -both ways - to school and back). You kids today!"
LOL, thanks for the diggs guys. - tandyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0well found this site thought id throw in my 2 cents, well considering that technology yes does advance almost every week at max, i could see that kind of a price, i remember my dad buying a 800 MB Maxtor drive in 96' for 1200bucks (us), if i would of known bout this post sooner id show ya the receipt, course that's like 1.8 bucks on the meg, but in 85 i could see it even more expensive, but now days tho i can pick up a 250 gig drive at my local PC store for bout 120 bucks.. but i was thinking for some humor, with new advances in programing , data encryption and placement could you imaging how much data could be stored on a 18 inch platter ??
- Gary72, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Take a look at this link for historical hard drive prices. From what I remember, back in the day, it's a whole lot more close to reality.
http://www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625/winchest.html
This story is carp, but it's fun to pick it apart :) No offense to the original poster, I'm guessing you were not playing on PC's back in 1985 or you really would have found this story to be nonesense. - TimmyK., on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"When they say "hard drive" we automatically think "computers". Well, first mice, for instance, weren't made for computers and served a slightly different purpose."
Well what exactly would a Hard Drive be used for besides a computer? I can't think of a single thing that a hard drive could do unless it was connected to a computer of some sort. I mean a hard drives only purpose is to store data for a computer. And I think you are wrong about the mouse. The first mouse was designed for exactly what it does today. To move a cursor around a computer screen. You might be thinking of the technology that inspired the first mouse, but that isn't a mouse. The mouse was created as a computer control device first and formost, and again serves no purpose besides that. - njbair, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This one had potential but I think it's bunk.
- CaptSnuffy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The platter used in this coffee table is 26" :
http://www.grandideastudio.com/portfolio/index.php?id=1&prod=20
Anyone have a pic of one the drives the platter is from? - Gary72, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just a final point, I still find the prices on the list a bit high, I know for certain what I paid for my drive, but I see the 1987 data is a bit lacking :(
- nymphetamine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+06gb $400? i just got my 4gb($80) flash drive today.
- celticeric, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I bought a Commodore XT Clone (remember calling PCs clones?) in 1987 with a 40MB harddrive. I definitely didn't pay $40,000, although I cry bitter tears when I think of the kickass gaming rig my $1,700 would buy today.
- p3lEr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0nice...
- siouxmoux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I got my first 10meg 5 1/4 Full Hight HD in 1985 for $100 bucks! Gee for (40MB/$40,000) in 1985 this must have been one of the biggest ripoff of that year!
- TimmyK., on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This does seem like BS. I've see much smaller drives than that from that time with as comparable storage, and they weren't that expensive. And having that 6 Gig drive labeled $400 is just another example of how stupid the display is. I'd imagine a 600 gig drive being $400. If you could even find a 6 gig drive it would be for a notebook, or iPod or something, and would cost a fraction of that.
- JFDelorme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I once removed an old mainframe from a company, This system was from HP circa 1982, the whole thing weighted about 2000 Lbs with the Reel to Reel tape, printer, core and HD.
the HD weighed about 150lbs and the platters(2) were about 18" in diameter, it was made of solid steel, you can see that the unit, or at least the casing had been hand made. 3 huge motors were needed to make it work. 10lbs each, 1 for fans, 2 for platter belt drive. I saw the original invoice, they paid roughly $50K Canadian, just for the 20MB HD... The whole system was around $500K. CPU and Printer were the most expensive parts.
I still have the HD to this day with many system boards. non functioning used as "Art" - tandyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ohh just to prove new hd's cheap for even 250 check thsi link out
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details-print.asp?EdpNo=1265028&Sku=THD-250A - tandyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0id also like to add the fact ive seen a 3 gig drive the size of a quarter in my own eyes....
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've got a nice old HD hanging of my wall - that huge thing is insane!
- rft3rd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This story is carp, but it's fun to pick it apart :
yeah... smells fishy to me too ;-)
i digress// the people who continue to post here, need to read the other comments.. i swear if i see one more this is BS post without any conent to why its BS im leaving Digg lol - canucksin2006, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0sweet
- driedwater, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"40 mb is alot man, i only got 256k in my system"
Wow and you have what os running and you are on digg? i'm impressed. - bigteebo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So on that hard drive, where do you mount the engine and flywheel?
- digman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+040 mb is alot man, i only got 256k in my system
- redfox2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Guys please take into account Moore Law, many of your dates are years after (2 years the earliest) based upon that the price would have dropped.
- jesusfreak216, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i gues back then "killer app" ment chunking your hard drive at your worst rivals head
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