Vanishing Transistors

Twenty years ago, I was published in this edition of (Everyday) Practical Electronics -- mine is the Thunderstorm Monitor. There is one huge difference between the magazine then and now. I just received the June 2024 edition. It sports a grand total of two transistors in its designs. To be precise, two BC559's -- general purpose devices. By comparison, the November 2004 edition had sixteen transistors in its designs -- and a variety of types. OBSERVATION: We have seen the disappearance of the discrete transistor, and the ascendancy of ... black boxes.