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HP Forum Archive 04

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Teal-Green HP-10B availability
Message #1 Posted by Peter Khor on 6 Nov 2000, 8:28 p.m.

Call me an alarmist, but has anyone seen the newer teal/green 10B lately?!(not the 10BII) They were here locally on the shelves (in droves) at Wal-Marts, Office Depot, etc about 2 months back, and then they ALL dissapeared ~2 weeks ago - All that are left are the orange labeled 10B's. I did casually ask a store clerk, and he muttered something about sending the whole lot back to distribution. Just wondering ...

      
Re: Teal-Green HP-10B availability
Message #2 Posted by Tom (UK) on 7 Nov 2000, 7:31 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Peter Khor

I think somewhere in HP there has been a mixup of serious proportions. The fact that the HP10Bii apeared as an official page on the HP web site (and has since disapeared without trace) has let the cat out of the bag (an English saying).

I don't think HP wanted the HP10Bii version advertised before they had sold off all the old HP10B calc's (in the new colors to help sales). This is a very old sales technique to get rid of stock - jazz up the last run of the product. (Does this mean the end of the HP32Sii??? - I hope not)

Perhaps HP could rebuild all those recalled HP10B's as HP42S....... You would only need a new display, new circuit board, reprint the keyboard etc. etc!

This is all just a conspiricy theory but the evidence so far does point this way.

            
Re: 10BII appeared again
Message #3 Posted by kynes on 7 Nov 2000, 11:19 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Tom (UK)

The 10BII is back! Under

http://www.hp.com/calculators/go/10bii/

you can download an emulator, until November 15 or so. Probably HP starts selling the 10BII really the next weeks. And probably the next 32SII (32SIII ? - if it comes) got a design similar this 10BII.

                  
Re: 10BII appeared again
Message #4 Posted by Frank Knight on 7 Nov 2000, 2:24 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by kynes

Case seems similar to that on the 30S, a cost (but perhaps not price?)reduction model for sure!

                  
Re: 10BII appeared again
Message #5 Posted by GE (France) on 9 Nov 2000, 3:30 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by kynes

The 10BII is very different from the 30S, the latter having a lot more keys and a very cheap feel.

The physical layout of the keyboard differs from the 10B as it sports no double-sized [Enter] key. Also the display is 7-segment.

So all in all, a 32SIII is doable as HP did with the previous series, but with changes the order of magnitude of those between a 20S and a 32S.

I like the new hardware platform, apart from some fears regarding the keyboard reliability on the long run. We'll see.

P.S. : Why did you all drop the " (I'm from ZygwoLand)" postfix policy ?

                        
Re: 10BII appeared again
Message #6 Posted by Frank Knight on 9 Nov 2000, 10:47 a.m.,
in response to message #5 by GE (France)

Having not held a 10BII (can't find yet?) but having a 30S, after loading the simulator, it strikes me that the cases are similar in design as one might expect for a product line migration.

      
Teal-Green HP-10B availability and Shelf Space
Message #7 Posted by Dan M (New England, USA) on 9 Nov 2000, 6:23 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Peter Khor

I just spent an entertaining hour or so browsing a Staples store near me. They had several "teal/green" 10Bs, or so it appeared to my colour-blind eyes. I had no problems with the contrast, but am totally unfamiliar with the "old-style" colours, so can't really compare the two. They also had a few HP-30's. There was a spot on the display rack marked for the HP-12, but none were visible anywhere.

It was interesting to note that the 10B comes packaged with a booklet of sorts, possibly a "manual"(?) while the 30 only has some cool-coloured faceplates with it, and no instructions.

TI has the shelf space sewn up like crazy, including about 4' wide of pegboard with nothing but TI-82's from top to bottom, adjacent to 2' of other TI calcs. No sign of the HP-49 or anything else (except maybe the 6's, but I didn't sort through the mobs of $3.99 calcs to see if they were lurking there somewhere).

So... as far as shelf space and availability... it seems the battles are being/have been fought and the winner is obvious.

Good Luck for the future, HP, it seems you need a lot of it.


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