[Sderby] Re: Modems

[James Gibbon]

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 11:00:18 +0100 (BST)
"David Bottrill" <david at bottrill.org> wrote:

> Theoretically hardware  modems should be more expensive, however these
> days you can pick up a hardware modem for £20 or so, hence price is
> barely an issue.

I dug out an old copy of Personal Computer World magazine the other week, the July
1987 edition.  I had a good laugh at the PC ads (a 12MHz 286 with 1MB memory and
a 40MB hard drive - yours for a mere £2199) but I was amazed to read an article on
"high speed modems":

      "The latest modem standards provide 2400 bits/sec (V22bis) and a
       staggering 9600 bits/sec (V32).  V22bis modems are widely available and
       prices are falling.  They currently cost between £500-£1000. V32 is very
       new and pricey at around £3000."

So that £20 is cheap indeed when you consider what a 9kbps modem would have cost
you back in the '80s!

James