Tuesday, June 29, 2010

All your circuits belong to us

This ad could be called "the insane march of technology" - on a closer inspection, that is really what happens here.

On a previous ad from 1949, for the princely sum of $229.95 you could buy a 10-inch TV - now in 1954 you can become the proud owner of a 24-incher for the same money. Considering inflation, it's actually cheaper to buy a bigger TV.

The mechanics of the markets are the same -it's always cheaper to buy later in the cycle of adoption of a product, be it a black-and-white Admiral TV or a spankin' iPhone.

But the really important detail here is in the copy.


"AUTOMATION by Admiral", 1954
-click to enlarge-

The "Admiral precision circuits" and automated fabrication process is a distinctive selling point. This might be the first-ever advertisement of a printed-circuit product outside the military.

Awesome! Surely, a vision of things to come.

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