Question in the abstract: Newer/older oscilloscopes of the same apparent specs?

[ajrabassa]

I'm looking around at oscilloscopes, and I've been unable to answer my own question just through research. This is a navel-gazing sort of question, so if it's off topic I apologize.

I notice I can buy scopes from in the early 2000s, calibrated, with the same specifications as a brand new scope from 2015 - for example, call it 1 Ghz, 4 Gs/S, and 1Mpts storage. From what I can figure out, the scopes of that spec from 2000 might have been $20k USD when it came out versus $8k USD for the new scope of the same specs today.

What else goes into an oscilloscope that would differentiate these two, in both software and hardware? I'm struggling to find information that would give a solid answer outside user preference or a slightly nicer GUI.

[nctnico]

The newer devices tend to have:
- LAN connection
- USB storage support
- Protocol decoding
- Less weight/size/noise
- TFT screen instead of CRT

[dom0]

The newer devices tend to have:
- LAN connection
- USB storage support
- Protocol decoding
- Less weight/size/noise
- TFT screen instead of CRT

- Manufacturer support

[tautech]

The newer devices tend to have:
- LAN connection
- USB storage support
- Protocol decoding
- Less weight/size/noise
- TFT screen instead of CRT

- Manufacturer support

- Greater Memory depth