The Computer Chronicles - Holiday Buyer's Guide (1989)

Special thanks to archive.org for hosting these episodes. Downloads of all these episodes and more can be found at: archive.org/details/computerch...

[@JohnMichaelson]

No show deserved more airtime than Computer Chronicles. I always felt bad for them having to rush their guests to fit in a 20-30 minute show.

[@benefactr1840]

"Sim City Sound Great" in a very unenthusiastic voice. Still around 30 years later!

[@whattheheck1000]

Just remember, since this episode aired, prices have gone up by 2.05 times (as of spring 2020). That means that what cost $100 when this aired is equivalent to $205 now. Here's some of the prices of things in the video. U-Force: $70 ($143) - 2:19 Hand scanner: $200-$300 ($409-$614) - 4:43 Desktop publishing pkg: about $160-$200 ($327-$409) - 4:49 Mouse: about $80-$100 ($164-$205) - 4:51 Casio Boss lower-end model: $200 ($409) - 5:24 Casio Boss higher-end model: $300 ($614) - 5:24 Fractools: $45 ($92) - 7:54 Beyond the Black Hole - $50 ($102) - 9:02 Tree Saver: $90 ($184) - 10:29 Road Warrior lower-end model: $50 ($102) - 10:52 Road Warrior higher-end model: $139 ($285) - 10:52 Windows interface for Compuserve: $25 ($51) - 11:23 Spanish-English translator: $495 ($1,013) - 11:43 - price from Feb. 12, 1990 InfoWorld Banner Mania: $30-$40 ($61-$82) - 12:06 Voice Master Key: $149 ($305) - 12:29 Hint books: $2 ($4) - 12:48 Sharp liquid crystal projector: about $3,000 ($6,140) - 13:44 Farallon portable pack: about $400 ($819) - 15:28 Mac Portable: about $6,500 ($13,305) - 16:14 Hyperdialer: $30 ($61) - 17:35 Mac telecommunication pkg: $299 ($612) - 18:15 1 MB RAM: $80-$100 ($164-$205) - 18:38 Power Trip: about $150 ($307) - 18:53 Tote Board: $299 ($612) - 19:50 The Word processor: $40-$50 ($82-$102) - 20:18 Aapps Micro TV: about $360-$400 ($736-$819) - 22:09 Note: Where they said "less than" I took that to mean within 20% of the price of; e.g. "less than $100"is within 20% of $100, i.e. $80 to $100. April 24, 2020 11:16 pm

[@lithium820]

Chiming in, the year is 2023. Inflation since 1989 is 143%, so a 2.43 times increase in prices.

[@oscodains]

Although the best equivalent products that are produced today have become much cheaper.

[@davidt8087]

Well at least you're intelligent. Ask a generation z adult "hey what do you think less than $100 means when someone says x product is less than $100"?, and they'd fkn be like "durhhh like $5".. Fkn pure idi0ts with no common sense or logic. Dumbest generation of all time

[@healthierlife235]

The one thing I get from this episode is how big of an impact the transistor has had on society and the speed of change.

[@CaptchaNeon]

Wow the first Xbox kinect in 1989! I had no idea sensors like that for video games that could detect motion were that old. I was just 5 years old that year.

[@CharlesEBright]

Sim City LOL I remember that game. It's funny how you can play this game on computers and mobile. It's cool to see how far we have come with computers and tech.

[@deltaray3]

16:42 That's so useful to print barcode labels for my christmas gifts. Now my robotic kids with laser eyes can just scan for their gifts.

[@troytravers865]

I would love a box of floppy disks for Christmas. Would really come in handy.

[@perpetualwinner]

This stuff was SOOO expensive. Makes just about all electronics today look like a bargain.

[@777jones]

True. Only a few people could afford ANY of this.

[@wallacelang1374]

I had always looked forward to seeing the annual Christmas episode of The Computer Chronicles in order to find out what wonderful software and hardware was coming out. 🎁

[@joeyabuki5959]

16:03 "I've got the ultimate holiday gift here" - opens and makes a rusty hinge noise -

[@unnamedchannel1237]

I would love to be on Paul Schindler’s Christmas list

[@oscodains]

It’s not too late, you can email him still on his website.

[@yellowblanka6058]

Holiday Buyers guide.....for the Silicon Valley, Fortune 500 set.

[@wolfsden3]

That was awesome. Did anybody catch the first Apple watch at about 14 minutes? 🤣

[@barriewilson3052]

I love fractals. First saw them on my atari ste. But i couldnt watch them for hours. NO.

[@BAZFANSHOTHITSClassicTunes]

Gary looks really ill here. If only he could have beaten his addiction i think he would still be here today.

[@CharlesAbell]

The rush past sim city 😂 the only thing in this video that lasted thru time

[@fordxbgtfalcon]

I’m a bit of a watch nerd so I really liked that watch Janis showed.

[@MrBronsonNY]

Jan!! JAN!! Babe! calm down!,Jesus!

[@nyccollin]

BrackynMor Modern quality mechanical keyboards sound the same and even louder in some cases.

[@VidaDigital]

We've come a long way since then @ 12:05 regarding machine translation ...

[@TomiTapio]

Oh what fun it is to gaze, on an 1989 computer sho-ow...

[@4jp]

I bought something after seeing it in this video. Not in 1989. Like 10 minutes ago.

[@TomiTapio]

Six-button mouse maybe?

[@4jp]

@@TomiTapio two of them. still sealed.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Takes smart phone back .... mind blown and burnt at the stake as a witch .

[@Lachlant1984]

I've never used a U Force controller before, but Mike Tyson's Punch Out is such a fantastic NES game.

[@paulmorley1225]

I love product-reveals from that era. You never knew what the hell they we're gonna pull out, I mean some of the gadgets were the most bizarre off-the-wall useless things but interesting nonetheless.

[@ferrreira]

2:26 - I never get tired of how handsome Gary Kildall was

[@8bitromania263]

if i only had access to this info during the 80's and 90's,

[@DavePoo2]

I love the way Gary picked a $3000 Christmas gift

[@777jones]

He was rich. This whole hobby was (at this level) for rich people in the 80s

[@morestuff75]

Some products weren’t so bad and they’re just forgotten but certain products certainly weren’t terribly disappointing.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

That slide show program was pointless do you think ?

[@davideck2331]

16:29 Print out a label. "It's very fast..." HAHAHAHAH!!!

[@nitramluap]

Obviously you weren’t even born yet...

[@joeblack363]

@@nitramluap obviously it's a joke has nothing to do with age

[@JaredConnell]

@@nitramluap do young people not have the same ability to determine the passage of time?

[@Frankiedejongo]

@@nitramluap L

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

This show always seemed like the presenters were trying to beat the clock before the TV exploded.

[@DuckGWR]

Hey, Gary's back with his TV/8mm tape combo!

[@dj2bklyn]

I really love this show

[@DavidPaulMorgan]

@11:50 - $200 for a spanish translator program! "Ok Google Translate Merry Christmas into Spanish"

[@NatalieJarosz]

Didn't I see the U Force in an AVGN video?

[@clarknapper3933]

Yes, it's pretty dire.

[@dj2bklyn]

Im so glad they showed that bible

[@TurboRonin83]

A mouse that costs less than $100? What a bargain!

[@danielcubillos1325]

15:00 the first iwatch and teamviewer ideas... 1989.... so sweet !!! :D

[@mastshak]

Can you hear the hinges squeak when he opens the lid of the Mac "laptop"? lol.

[@jrmcferren]

Apple was not really good in the portable market at that time and the Macintosh Portable was their first model. It weighed a whopping 17 pounds and had a low power version of everything. Power was provided by a lead acid battery for the main system and the PRAM (equal to CMOS on a PC) was run by a 9-volt battery. Initially the screen was not backlit, but a revision in 1990 changed that. While they were talking about NiMh batteries being introduced, Apple users had to wait a while as NiCd wasn't even an option until the next model which was the PowerBook 100 which still had a lead acid battery standard. Apple's definition of Portable was rather outdated by the late 80s. Prior to the laptop "Portable" model, if you wanted a portable Macintosh you had to lug around your Mac, Mac Plus, Mac SE, Etc and cases were made for that purpose. In the Apple II world you had the Apple IIC which did have an LCD option which was uncommon or a small CRT monitor which was semi-portable. A third party could also in theory make a battery pack for the original IIC, but the IIC+ had the full AC supply built in.

[@aahl_work]

12:03 The correct translation should be something like: Feliz Navidad para todos y buenas noches a todos 😁... I'm really impressed with all the great technology tho

[@matthewreynolds2384]

@8:14 SIMCITY oh yeah!

[@davesmith5092]

Kay zee oh? Does anyone pronounce Casio that way?

[@straightpipediesel]

Nope. It's not Japanese either, their pronunciation is basically the same as English.

[@leshpar]

"here I have a boxing game". . .Its Punch Out. Why couldn't he just say that? lol.

[@JaredConnell]

Most people watching would have no clue what it was by name

[@tetsujin_144]

Demoing the U-Force of all damn things... (sigh) Like the Power Glove wasn't "bad" enough, so here's the U-Force, it's "even worse"

[@OhFishyFish]

@@JaredConnell And they wouldn't buy this controller either.

[@GoldSrc_]

Man, it must have been fun living back then, all that tech being brand new and stuff. But oh boy, were things slow af. Wut? even back then people were afraid of xrays coming from CRT monitors even when no evidence of any harm? Oh, neat, the death of NiCd batteries. Man, I love these old shows about tech.

[@yellowblanka6058]

New and very expensive, lol.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@ungratefulmetalpansy - CRTs do NOT emit X-Rays, that's patently ludicrous - if that were true we'd all be dead by now. Ever have an X-Ray at the dentist? That's VERY small amount of X-Rays (and they limit how often they take them) AND they make you wear the lead apron.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@ungratefulmetalpansy There is an incredibly small, incidental amount of x-rays, which is (or was) strictly regulated.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@ungratefulmetalpansyI admit I could have worded my response better, I'm not the one with a throwaway account with no profile pic, playlists etc. - and judging by your response to this thread I'd say it's more likely you're the internet loudmouth and projecting heavily.

[@GoldSrc_]

@ungratefulmetalpansy CRT glass has lead in it, there's no way a CRT will emit X-rays under normal conditions. You NEED over 35kV to start producing X-rays, what's the working voltage of an average CRT? 25kV and lower. Unless the protection circuits fail and the voltage increases by a lot, you don't get X-rays out of a normal CRT.

[@alejandromartinezgandara2302]

The translator program translated the sentence real bad !

[@Frankiedejongo]

Why do you have a super long name

[@bastardtubeuser]

gary kildal rules good episode.

[@u0aol1]

Paul Paul Paul, you turned the game sounds on on purpose didn't you?

[@micmac99]

5:06 I believe that's the very first Madden. We are now on Madden 22. Patrick Mahomes (who's on the cover with Tom Brady) wasn't even born when the first Madden was released.

[@AlexSage]

the music was produced on some kinda 70's synth or somethin'...

[@daehawk9585]

I jave never heard anyone pronounce Casio liken that before. No one ever corrected him??

[@deltaray3]

18:56 Who the hell would run a fax machine from inside a car?

[@jrmcferren]

More people than you would think. There were two ways to send a fax from your car in 1989. With an acoustic coupler you could use a pay phone to send a fax. With the correct interface, you could also use a cellular phone to send a fax. This wasn't just limited to standard office type fax machines as they made portable models and I think some had battery power options.

[@straightpipediesel]

The same person who sends work e-mails from Starbucks today. Businesses didn't have the Internet in 1989. Services like Compuserve existed but weren't universal, and were only text. Everybody could send and receive faxes. Need to send a letter, quote, contract, datasheet or order? You faxed.

[@cartoonvandal]

$100 for a mouse?? And with inflation that's like what? $150 for a shitty mouse??

[@johndoe8033]

"macintosh excell" little error by Paul shindler haha

[@marloh5453]

its so weird hearing my name...

[@perseusarkouda]

1:00 I think this company will grow the following next years. Also I believe in the future adults will be playing video games too. Crazy, huh?

[@doriamedina]

Nes had a kinect like system that worked in 1989!

[@uriituw]

I’m not sure _worked_ is the appropriate word.

[@nulious]

"worked" is a bit of a stretch.

[@doriamedina]

@@uriituw Duck Hunt worked pretty well, when I played it in the 80s!

[@doriamedina]

@@nulious Duck Hunt worked pretty well, when I played it in the 80s!

[@joeblack363]

It's very fast............. .😯

[@bcgibson22]

Marlo would be 40 now.....

[@OhFishyFish]

$100 in today's money to look at few fractals. No thanks, I'd rather have that $150 tool allowing me to print two pages on one sheet of paper.

[@soviet9922]

the u-force what a sham !

[@unnamedchannel1237]

The slide show software seems pointless

[@pyromiko]

bannermania!!!!!

[@uriituw]

_The Word_. Waste of money.

[@pyromiko]

the woman seema to be under coke effects

[@dirkjewitt5037]

$200 for a paint program? thats as much as a cheap PC monitor calibrator

[@NathanChisholm041]

But will it play Crysis 3?

[@yellowblanka6058]

"cli·ché /klēˈSHā/ noun 1. a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. "the old cliché “one man's meat is another man's poison.”" Similar: platitude hackneyed phrase commonplace banality truism trite phrase banal phrase overworked phrase stock phrase bromide saw maxim adage dictum saying tag aphorism expression phrase formula old chestnut apothegm 2. BRITISH•PRINTING a stereotype or electrotype. "

[@maartenofbelgium]

Everything can be emulated 😅

[@mickyfitzy13]

Did he just say that 1mb of ram is $8200???

[@davesmith5092]

80 to 100 dollars.

[@daehawk9585]

In 1994 my wife paid $200 for 4 meg that Christmas.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Daehawk not sure why women like Ram so much 🐏

[@carlpenney4506]

What is this 😂

[@daveb970]

I dunno but I think Stewart and Gary had somethin' goin on....

[@bcyrx]

Fractools looks like the most useless software ever.

[@pyromiko]

59 dollars hahah

[@straightpipediesel]

Fractals were the popular way of showing off how fast your computer was back then. It was one of the few applications that took advantage of the FPU. Just like how people pay $30 for 3DMark today to show off their GPU.

[@daehawk9585]

Uforce and all motion controllers are just horrible for gaming.

[@DavidTangman]

Wow! Sim City was 1989!

[@cartoonvandal]

$100 for a mouse?? And with inflation that's like what? $150 for a shitty mouse??