$113.5 billion worth of electronics sold in 2004

ravy writes "Americans bought $113.5 billion worth of electronics in 2004 and by 2005 the number will reach $127.5 billion. Digital television sets, MP3 players and flash memory cards were the best-sellers percentagewise, while PCs and cell phones enjoyed more steady growth in terms of sales. Google Zeitgeist also lists ipod, digital camera and mp3 as the most popular consumer electronics queries for the year past."

Comments

Longevity?

[Odo]

That is indeed a lot of gadgets. But the other (missing) half of the statistic is how long will these devices last? Will the all be thrown out next year, making this a running cost? Or will they be in use for years to come, making this a capital cost?

The calculator on my desk was purchased in 1972. The PC I'm writing this on was bought in 1999. Both are expected to last me for many more years to come. My fear is that the $113.5b figure in the article is mostly the result of people burning money for no reason.