Your iPhone replaces the roomful of equipment found in this 1991 Radio Shack ad
iPhones are expensive, even with the subsidies your mobile carrier provides. But if you add up all the tools you now carry around in your pocket instead of having to toss in your backpack while you travel, the savings are pretty remarkable. A recent post from the Buffalo, NY blog Trending Buffalo finally puts a price and perspective on how much tech we're actually carrying.
Writer Steve Cichon found and uploaded a Radio Shack ad circular from 1991 and, with the exception of 15" speakers and a radar detector, there was literally nothing found on the circular that your iPhone couldn't easily do. Thanks to the box in your pocket you've got a weather radio, AM/FM radio, headphones, calculator, video games, camcorder, cellular phone, Speed-Dial, voice mail, and tape recorder on you at all times.
Adding it all up Cichon discovered buying all of that gear would set you back $3,054.82 in 1991. Adjusted for inflation that's around $5,100 in modern dollars. You can see the circular ad below. Head over to Trending Buffalo to check out Cichon's run down of costs, and how you can get the same functionality out of your iPhone.
