@jonathanb
You're correct that in a business setting the total cost per calculation has reduced significantly.
However, inflation is determined by a basket of consumer goods and this basket reflects the lifestyle of the average consumer. The OP suggested that the move from Cray to laptop should have resulted in a reduction of inflation.
I was pointing out that the opposite is true. Over the past 30 years, there has been an increase in the number, and value, of tech items that make up the consumer basket - without a massive hike in inflation rates -m and that's hedonistic improvement.
As the article points out, economic statistics cannot tell us how life is getting better, but a comparison of the current consumer basket with those of the past can be quite telling.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
