We can't do the math

MUSB Thumb Drive Packaging (Front)

USB Thumb Drive Packaging (Back)

I recently bought a new USB thumb drive at Staples. The drop in prices has been pretty remarkable. This 32 GB device was under $20.00. And 30 years ago, when IBM introduced its first hard drive for PC it had a capacity of 5MB and sold for $20,000.

But that is not the point. On the back of the packaging is a table showing how many files the device can hold. The table lists the capacity for two sizes of USB thumb drive, 16 GB and 32 GB. As you might expect, the 32 GB device can hold twice as many MP3 files and photographs as the 16 GB device. But, for some reason, while the 16 GB device can hold 30 hours of video, the 32 GB device can only hold 40 hours of video, not the 60 hours you might expect.

Detail of USB Thumb Drive Packaging (Back)

Not the end of the earth, but I'd like to think that someone is paying attention to details. Yes, it is only the packaging, but typos are never a good sign. (And I should know, I make more than enough of them in this blog.)