"The quality will remain...
Message #1 Posted by Juergen on 20 Jan 2003, 10:00 a.m.
"The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten."
(Frederick Henry Royce)
I think this quote from one of the founders of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars also
applies to the older HP calculators (sorry, I've no experience with the
newer models). HP calcs were not cheap but they were (and still are) worth
the money.
Just for fun, here is another citation from a Rolls-Royce brochure I have
(unfortunately, I have only the brochure - without price list - but no car;
perhaps you have one to trade against an HP-41CV):
A Timeless Pleasure
There is no devotion as deep or as pure as the devotion of the afficionado for
his Rolls-Royce or Bentley. If he is not driving it, he is polishing it. He does
not begrudge it his last penny or the last second of his spare time. He will
heat its garage better than his house. [...]
He thoughtfully provides for its future in his will. He will travel hundreds
of miles on the strength of a rumour (nearly always unfounded) that a specimen
he covets lies dusty and forgotten in some distant barn.
He joins a club. To meet some of ten thousand others all over the world with
the same madness. To gain access to technical and historical information. [...]
Today, most products are built for short-term usage; tomorrow, they are outdated
or broken. But, for example, the HP-41 is still a perfect calculator nearly 25
years after his introduction, and it still looks very nice and modern. I like
these things that are useful over such a long time. And you?
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