Patrick, I agree with Alan (who may have a tad more insight than I, after all) - prices will stay in the current ranges but the capabilities increase. I don't believe the small companies involved in amateur CCDs would be able to stay in business if the price per unit goes down. Volume won't make up the difference - these aren't MP3 players. The capability increases seem to come in fits and starts, rather than in a sort of continuous improvement. It would seem that once a design is finalized, they have to let production run for a while to get a return on their development effort. As for expense, the camera is just a part of the total cost - even excluding the telescope and mount. Filter wheel, AO7, pier, upgraded wedge, software, software, software, etc. It do add up.
I asked Alan Hale (president of Celestron) that when he was in town a while back. He said to look for prices to stay sort of stable but capabilities to go way up.
Patrick
Jim Sgt