$1 billion project! Everyone invited to join!

[ivconic]

...So, if there has been no new technology since the 90's it seems that people like Dankowski, Minelab and others are not selling new technology at all.
Just using people and the internet to line their pockets while claiming there is new technology that would make someone a better detectorist...

Generally speaking... yes.
But this will need further clarification, just to be fair toward all the mentioned parties.
First we shall define precisely what's "new technology" actually means?
Implementing microprocessor or micro controller in detector certainly should not imply.
You can simply mimic complete analog circuitry with code in mcu, that's usually called "new technology"... is it?
You can short some processing functions like that, make them more accurate and efficient... is that "new technology"?
You can add numerous "jingle&bells" over the "bare bone" md essence... is that "new technology"?
Want to make "multi frequency" feature? Fisher did that long time ago. Certainly not new idea nor "new technology"?
Minelab make steps forward in that direction. Is that "new technology"?
XP did several very interesting steps too; is that "new technology"?
Answer could be yes and no, to all and many more similar questions.
Depends on what do you mean exactly by the term "new technology".
When i hear "new technology" ... i would expect something quite new and different than all what's seen before.
Most important; something that will provide me more success on the real sites. Provide me more good finds.
I have rich field experience with lot of different brands and models.
I would name 3 very significant models that i used in the past: Whites Eagle Spectrum, Fisher CZ5 and Garrett GTI2500.
Indeed "old and obsolete" models in today terms of speaking.
Those 3 (i could name several models more probably) models are still today providing me the same success on the sites.
Anything newer that i saw in meantime, under the label "new technology" didn't beat those models.
On contrary: vast majority of newer models usually brings up only more disappointments.
When i say "nothing have been done... since '90s..." - it usually means that; nothing have been done to significantly beat the technology involved in those 3 mentioned models.
So.. what exactly is "new technology"?
More jingle&bells and latest electronic component technology involved inside... or real usable features and performances that user can really see and feel on the site?
If answer is first; oh yes, true, we are indeed having quite new technology today. But if answer is second; no, we stopped with new technology back in the '90s.

[ivconic]

This story can be reduced to a simple analogy primer.
The medicine and the drugs.
Whether the drug completely cures the disease or only mitigates the consequences of that disease to some extent.
If the drug completely cures; that's something new.
Otherwise the drug is just another clone of the clone of the clone...
So we can speak pages and pages on new drug features.
We can start popular forums to present each new drug features.
But in essence we'll stay incapable to cure the disease.
...
When somebody asks me why do i visit same old sites back again, for the decades... answer is pretty obvious.