Isn't technology incredible?
So I was sitting here thinking about how Star Wars still seems pretty modern, especially compared to other films from the same era, and that got me thinking about how much technology has changed since then. I knew the changes were big, but I didn't appreciate just HOW big.
Recently I've been messing around with a Raspberry Pi (the mini computer, not the dessert!). They use an incredibly tiny little card (called a Micro SD card) for their storage.
Now, let's go back in time to the balmy, halcyon days of 1977 when Star Wars was released in the US (it was released in the UK the following year).
At the same time, this advert was published in an American newspaper:
As you can see, a colossal (for the time) 10MB hard disk drive would be a bargain at only $3,998.
Now, let's jump forward a few years. When I was growing up and started playing with computers in the late '80s and early '90s, PC's used 3.5" floppy disks that littered many a teenage geek's bedroom. Initially they were able to hold 744KB of data. Later they advanced to hold 1.44MB and cost about £1.00 each.
There was no Internet. No thumb drives. Even CDs were years away. Everything came on these little plastic and metal squares. So in the space of around 15 years, that $4k, 10MB drive had already been relegated to history by 10 little disks that would set you back just £10.00!
Now, lets leap forward to today. We'll skip everything that's come in between, such as CDs, DVDs, Zip Drives, Blu Ray and even thumb drives.
This is the card that the Raspberry Pi uses. This one is 64GB. It cost just £20.00. Let's put this into perspective. Just ONE GB holds the same as a stack of over 700 floppy disks…
Now, let's get back to my little Raspberry Pi card. At 64GB it would hold the same as 45,504 floppy disks. Wow!!
So how does that compare with our 1977 hard drive? Well, using that as a comparison, and not even accounting for inflation, the figures are mind-blowing.
64GB/10Mb = 6,400. So we'd need 6,400 of those hard drives to hold the same amount of data as our new card. And how much would 6,400 of those drives set you back?
$25,587,200 Over twenty-five-and-a-half-million dollars!!!
Want to see how big my Raspberry Pi's little Micro SD card actually is?
With all that storage (the same as over 45,000 floppies)?
The same as 6,400 1977 $4,000 hard drives?
Ok…
See it?! That tiny little thing at the end of the finger?! Just. WOW! If you're not impressed by that, you are probably already dead. Oh, and did I mention that it cost JUST £20.00, was ordered online late on a Saturday evening and was delivered right to my home in just a few hours, on a Sunday morning??
And, of course, 64GB is no longer even considered a large card. They just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger...
I envy the future that our children, and our children's children will see - a future that I don't think we could even dream about!
Isn't technology incredible?!?
Recently I've been messing around with a Raspberry Pi (the mini computer, not the dessert!). They use an incredibly tiny little card (called a Micro SD card) for their storage.
Now, let's go back in time to the balmy, halcyon days of 1977 when Star Wars was released in the US (it was released in the UK the following year).
 |
| Queues outside Mann's Chinese Theatre for Star Wars in 1977 |
At the same time, this advert was published in an American newspaper:
 |
| 1977 Hard Disk Drive from US advertisement |
As you can see, a colossal (for the time) 10MB hard disk drive would be a bargain at only $3,998.
Now, let's jump forward a few years. When I was growing up and started playing with computers in the late '80s and early '90s, PC's used 3.5" floppy disks that littered many a teenage geek's bedroom. Initially they were able to hold 744KB of data. Later they advanced to hold 1.44MB and cost about £1.00 each.
 |
| A 3.5" Floppy Disk with a 1.44MB Storage Capacity |
There was no Internet. No thumb drives. Even CDs were years away. Everything came on these little plastic and metal squares. So in the space of around 15 years, that $4k, 10MB drive had already been relegated to history by 10 little disks that would set you back just £10.00!
Now, lets leap forward to today. We'll skip everything that's come in between, such as CDs, DVDs, Zip Drives, Blu Ray and even thumb drives.
This is the card that the Raspberry Pi uses. This one is 64GB. It cost just £20.00. Let's put this into perspective. Just ONE GB holds the same as a stack of over 700 floppy disks…
Now, let's get back to my little Raspberry Pi card. At 64GB it would hold the same as 45,504 floppy disks. Wow!!
So how does that compare with our 1977 hard drive? Well, using that as a comparison, and not even accounting for inflation, the figures are mind-blowing.
64GB/10Mb = 6,400. So we'd need 6,400 of those hard drives to hold the same amount of data as our new card. And how much would 6,400 of those drives set you back?
$25,587,200 Over twenty-five-and-a-half-million dollars!!!
Want to see how big my Raspberry Pi's little Micro SD card actually is?
With all that storage (the same as over 45,000 floppies)?
The same as 6,400 1977 $4,000 hard drives?
Ok…
See it?! That tiny little thing at the end of the finger?! Just. WOW! If you're not impressed by that, you are probably already dead. Oh, and did I mention that it cost JUST £20.00, was ordered online late on a Saturday evening and was delivered right to my home in just a few hours, on a Sunday morning??
And, of course, 64GB is no longer even considered a large card. They just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger...
 |
| A 200GBMicro SD Card |
I envy the future that our children, and our children's children will see - a future that I don't think we could even dream about!
Isn't technology incredible?!?
Comments
Post a Comment