One thing the author doesn't do in this comparison is factor in the perceived technology value.
While you can adjust for inflation to get the price of a VHS tape in 2022 dollars ($23) and say that it's high, to someone in the 1980s just having the ability to record a TV show or movie and watch it forever at home was considered a huge leap in technology, and well worth the value. Today, however, we take that for granted, which means that the inflation-adjusted price of a VHS tape seems absurdly high.
I remember getting a Tivo as a gift for my wife. (2001 maybe?). I'd hooked it up to the TV the night before and when she came downstairs in the morning I said "let me show you something!"
I turned on some news channel and was trying to tell he about this. Something was 'newsworthy' on at that time, and she kept telling me "shh... hang on - I want to hear what he's saying!".
I pressed the 'pause' button on the tivo remote and the screen froze. Then she froze, and slowly turned to me... and... had that look in her eyes that "the world's just changed". :)
While you can adjust for inflation to get the price of a VHS tape in 2022 dollars ($23) and say that it's high, to someone in the 1980s just having the ability to record a TV show or movie and watch it forever at home was considered a huge leap in technology, and well worth the value. Today, however, we take that for granted, which means that the inflation-adjusted price of a VHS tape seems absurdly high.