🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <5605@oasys.dt.navy.mil> dlee@dtoa1.dt.navy.mil (David Lee) writes:
>In article <1991Jan29.000427.10982@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> simpson@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Simpson David Grant) writes:
>>  A friend of mine recently bought a 386 from a computer dealer
>>in Maryland.  The dealer told him that prices of electronic
>>equipment will soon be going up because of the war in the
>>Persian Gulf (the Defense Deparment is buying lots of chips)
>>and so PC prices will be going up as a result.
>
>I think maybe this dealer is giving you a sales pitch for one reason
>or another... Here in the Washington, DC area, PC prices are still falling
>regularly as 486 machines are becoming more and more available in the
>discount stores; putting pressure on the prices of the 286 and 386
>machines.. As an example, as of this week, typical discount prices for
>a 386 machine with VGA color monitor is about $2,000.00; this includes
>2 meg RAM, 60 meg HD, both 3 1/2 and 5 1/4 inch floppy. A similar 286
>based machine would be about $1,600.00.....This is down from December
>time frame...

Absolutely--I agree.  I've been waiting for someone to answer the
original poster's comments.  If the war in the gulf were going to
raise the price of computers then the prices would have gone up *in
anticipation* of the conflict just as the oil prices did.  The
fact that over the past four months 486 prices have dropped an
average of about $1000 shows no effect on computer availability
or pricing.  The reason 386's were so expensive for so long
(besides the fact that Intel had a monopoly on them) is that there
was such a shortage of CPU's in light of the great demand.  Now that
CPU's are more available, and now that you can get a good *complete*
486 system for about $3000, the price of 386's is going to be
dropped further still.  Hopefully as they bottom out, companies will
be pressed to offer better quality motherboards for the same price
in order to win more customers.  We always have a need for better
quality when companies are pressing for cheaper and cheaper prices!

S. "Stevie" Smith \  +  /
<smsmith@hpuxa.   \+++++/    " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@
 ircc.ohio-state. \  +  /      {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-)  "
 edu>             \  +  / 
 BTW, WYSInaWYG   \  +  /                              --witty.saying.ARC