It was undoubtably expensive, but the color active matrix panels were even more expensive, requiring 3x as many pixels for the same resolution. I remember it was pretty much a given that an active matrix screen would have at least one dead/stuck pixel, usually 2 or 3. It was that or live with the ghosting and poor contrast of a passive matrix screen. We really have been spoiled by modern TFT panels with vivid, pristine displays and they're dirt cheap. You can buy a whole brand new laptop these days for a fraction the price of the TFT panel alone in the late 90s.