Rod Speed wrote:

Eeyore wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Eeyore wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Eeyore wrote
JoeSpareBedroom wrote

In 1988, personal computers used to cost almost as much as a small car.

No they didnt.

Economies of scale changed that.

There was much more involved in the price than that.

It wasn't so much economies of scale,

It wasnt economics of scale at all.

it was making the parts overseas in low-wage economies.

Nope. We saw an even more dramatic reduction in price with say
cpus and memory which have bugger all wage economics involved.

If that were so then why is chip packaging
so often done in Malaysia / Philipines etc ?

Thats a tiny part of the price.

Not if it's done in the West !

Yes it is, because its automated and you just need a machine minding monkey,
and bugger all hours of its wages for each item, so its undoubtedly high wages
dont add much at all to the cost of what is packaged with it minding the machine.

You're mistaken.

Automation is widely used both in the west and in asia.

The lower overhead costs in asia make it cheaper overall. You'd be surprised how much
all those 'bugger alls' mount up to.

Graham