Well, that’s assuming that today, the stereoprice wouldn’t be adjusted downward for Walmart-style price pressure (see the classic case of the Vlassic pickle $3 megajar). Plus, the $249 only buys me a speaker; you still have to buy a device to put your digital music on, and that’s semi-difficult to do on the remaining $72 (that iPod classic I just bought doesn’t have radio, for example). I could get a carrier-subsidized smartphone, but then of course I have a two-year contract for wireless service.
At least the music is cheaper, either through cheap MP3s or streaming or (gulp) piracy and file-sharing. I remember when the semi-monthly $11.99 CD sale at Rainbow Records was a big deal. Now, there are very few albums that would cost me that much in 2013 dollars, and buying single songs is much easier.
Let me know when I’ve beaten this topic to death.
