It's been commoditized now, yes, and it's less important due to more computing being done on laptops that only periodically plug in.
Back then computer ownership was still proliferating, and computers were more expensive and always plugged in, so there was more preoccupation with protecting against an unknown.
Most people knew someone who'd had lightning strike their TV antenna, so they weren't protecting against a totally phantom risk. Many people also lived in older houses where wiring work wasn't to the standard of a home built in the last couple decades (I still live in such a home.)
I don't remember many people researching surge protector ratings in great detail, though, just being sure not to get a plain power strip. Some did know a lot.
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It's been commoditized now, yes, and it's less important due to more computing being done on laptops that only periodically plug in.
Back then computer ownership was still proliferating, and computers were more expensive and always plugged in, so there was more preoccupation with protecting against an unknown.
Most people knew someone who'd had lightning strike their TV antenna, so they weren't protecting against a totally phantom risk. Many people also lived in older houses where wiring work wasn't to the standard of a home built in the last couple decades (I still live in such a home.)
I don't remember many people researching surge protector ratings in great detail, though, just being sure not to get a plain power strip. Some did know a lot.