80 Mbytes of storage for under $12k!

[gwrober]

Wow. Look how far we've come in 30 years...

Article

1977

Such a deal

You can purchase this 80MB disk system for less than $12k -- and even better, 300MB for under $20k!

Not very irresistible today, but apparently a bargain back when this was published. So good, in fact, that prices were valid only for resellers buying at least 40 systems.

Have an idea when this might have been published? We'll offer this headline hint from the front page of the same issue: "Mainframes Not Always a Must, Citibank Officer Advises Users."

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

I always wanted to travel back in time and bring like my computer, cell phone, and iPod with me, just to see the look on everyone's face.

 

[Regs]

Take that pre-estoric apes!

 

[Flammable]

Originally posted by: scrawnypaleguy
I always wanted to travel back in time and bring like my computer, cell phone, and iPod with me, just to see the look on everyone's face.

im thinking if we manage to send a 500GB hardrive back there will our technology be more advanced today or the same/worse?

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: gwrober
Wow. Look how far we've come in 30 years...

Article

1977

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>
Such a deal

You can purchase this 80MB disk system for less than $12k -- and even better, 300MB for under $20k!

Not very irresistible today, but apparently a bargain back when this was published. So good, in fact, that prices were valid only for resellers buying at least 40 systems.

Have an idea when this might have been published? We'll offer this headline hint from the front page of the same issue: "Mainframes Not Always a Must, Citibank Officer Advises Users."</end quote></div>

My first job when I got out of the military was doing field engineering changes to the backplanes on 17 platter drive units similar to those.

 

[compuwiz1]

Considering that I just saw a Fry's ad for 1TB for under $300 the other day, I'd say that's a rip off. 😉

 

[steppinthrax]

You also have to understand 40 years ago applications fit on a 5.25" (720KB) disk and your Operating System was a couple of kilobytes. They wern't a whole lot of application availible either. So a 80 MB drive was almost like a 1 TB drive today. Although without the expensive of course!!!!

 

[gwrober]

Originally posted by: Regs
Take that pre-estoric apes!

"Are you serious?"

"Just try it..."

"Uh...Hi....What's your name.....it doesn't say anything cuz it's a DOLL."


Caveman's Crib

 

[mugs]

Wow. My first computer with a hard drive was from the late 80s, and it only had a 20 MB hard drive. 300 MB 10 years prior to that must have seemed enormous.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: mugs
Wow. My first computer with a hard drive was from the late 80s, and it only had a 20 MB hard drive. 300 MB 10 years prior to that must have seemed enormous.

Considering that the IBM 3330's cost around $87,000 and held around 100MB it was a very big leap. I couldn't tell from the ad if those were the sealed "Winchester" units but if so they are what led to me losing my job as everyone started migrating en mass to those new units. I had a choice to either go full time or quit and I quit so I could continue college full time.

 

[markgm]

I like seeing the desks in the ads. If I didn't have a computer on my desk I don't know what I'd do all day. I guess look at the wall for 8 hours!

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax
You also have to understand 40 years ago applications fit on a 5.25" (720KB) disk and your Operating System was a couple of kilobytes. They wern't a whole lot of application availible either. So a 80 MB drive was almost like a 1 TB drive today. Although without the expensive of course!!!!

exactly, it is all proportionate.