Count on consumer technology to give you your money's worth in 2001. You'll find must-have technology packed with more features and sporting lower prices: An average 3 percent decline is expected from 2000 prices.
Average prices of computers, including laptops, should fall by 10 percent to 15 percent in the coming year.
While you'll still pay top dollar for a computer that has the most memory, a top-notch software package and the largest monitor available, you will be able to get a fast PC with a hefty memory on the cheap.
For instance, eMachines' bargain-basement $399 PC features a 600-megahertz Intel Celeron chip and 10 gigabytes of RAM (the monitor is $129 to $199 extra). Other PC peripherals, such as scanners (many of which already cost less than $100), may drop by another 5 percent or 6 percent.
Color printers will improve in quality as well as color density. Most manufacturers will offer color laser-printer models for less than $1,500. Equivalent color printers generally cost $2,000 now.
The trend toward upgrading to bigger TVs — from 27-inch and even 32-inch sets to larger ones, including projection TVs — will continue in 2001.
On average, the price of color TVs will decline by about 5 percent. The average price now is $263 for a standard set, and $1,271 for a projection set. But don't expect the 5-percent drop to apply to ultrathin flat-panel TVs, which will hold firm at prices that range between $10,000 and $16,000.
Most makers of DVD players — the fastest-selling consumer-electronics product of all time — are already offering bare-bones models for $99 or less. In 2001, expect prices to fall for even top-of-the-line models.
DVD disc prices will drop from $20 or $30 to as low as $15.
Rates for unlimited Internet access from major providers will hold steady at 2000 prices, typically between $19.95 and $21.95 per month. So will the cost of DSL and other broadband telephone services, which will likely continue to hover at $40 a month.
The per-minute cost of wireless voice services will continue to decline, especially for high-priced monthly service plans.
If you signed up for your plan more than six months ago, you should be able to find a better per-minute rate, especially if you're a high-volume user.