On: Why Are Ultrasound Machines So Expensive?

[MichaelRenor]

I would hope that this type of hardware can be offset by the fact that these devices don't suffer obsolescence the same way other digital devices do, which need to be replaced because there's no longer 802.11b networks around etc.

[pjc50 → MichaelRenor]

Yes and no. At work we have a scope that will let you save traces onto a 1.44Mb floppy disk. Other people have test gear that runs DOS or Windows XP.

[vvanders → pjc50]

There's also the issue of calibration and recertification. Some industries can skip it but I'm guessing it's a hard requirement in the medical field.

[karthikb → MichaelRenor]

In many ways they're worse, especially specialized test equipment and protocol analyzers, because they're designed to evaluate the very thing that goes obsolete.