Down Memory Lane: The Historic Motorola Ad

Would you prefer buying a cell phone that offers a talk time of just 30 minutes, a recall of 30 phone numbers and 8 hours of battery backup? Or one that weighs approximately 28 ounces and looks like a unique possession from your father’s antique collection?

You’re probably looking for a third option: None of the above. But in 1983, Motorola’s DynaTAC 8000X sold it customers just that. Considering this was the 80s, when big and heavy was in, these cell phones were the rage. And what better way to sell it than an advertisement which has a host of people talking on these mammoths, while eating at a restaurant, while working at a construction unit, or even while driving a car (why!!).

This video was shot in 1983 and advertised the portable cell phones powered by Motorola. Price? A whopping $3,995 (about Rs 2,39,700 today). Given the then advanced technology, the cell phone could connect to a telephone network without a mobile operator. It was also the time when there were a few thousand cellular phones in use in the US.

Today, there are over 6.8 billion cell phones in the world, a majority of them laced with the most up-to-date technology. The Apples of the world are offering the sleekest smartphones, Nokia’s betting on its user experience, and Samsung is boasting about its Android-advantage.

Sadly, Motorola died a silent death and vanished into Google. For Motorola the 80s were the good old days!