ZX Spectrum: 30 years old, and still one of the cheapest computers ever made
extremetech.com
extremetech.com
$200 in 1982 = $475 in today's money. You can buy many, many systems for that kind of money.
I still think it's surprising that there are very few computers that are _really_ cheap (like the Raspberry Pi).
The difference in computing power/packaging size/etc between 1982 and 2012 is far greater than the price difference the ZX Spectrum and, say, a netbook. Even the $25 Raspberry Pi is probably (relatively) expensive compared to the ZX Spectrum.
edit: I mean, a really cheap home computer today is around $300 -- just $150 less than an inflation-adjusted ZX Spectrum.
I guess there's more to a modern computer (bigger case, drives, expansion slots, etc.) but there's still a big price disparity. I guess I'm just surprised that it took this long for something like the Raspberry Pi to arrive.
Another factor is software compatibility - if you design a machine that has capabilities similar to an entry level PC but can't run Windows, your market is much reduced. That's the main reason why this is an x86-dominated world that only recently became multi-core and 64-bit. This is another reason why PCs gained capabilities instead of lower prices - PC makers have to future-proof their products by making them compatible with future versions of Windows.
In order to compensate for that, you will have to go the Raspberry Pi route and build something where compatibility is not important and hitch a ride with a competing software ecosystem.