Re: HP: Why give up on RPN? Message #5 Posted by Tom (UK) on 5 Feb 2003, 12:57 p.m., in response to message #4 by Nick Nicholas
I think in the early days HP charged alot because the technology was expensive AND they re-invested it in newer models.
Since the HP48, HP has not done much about continuing the upper niche they occupied, probably as they saw it as a shrinking market. They did develop the HP49 after a gap of about 10 years but I think it flopped because it was too complex and HP did not invest in any decent documentation.
So, since 1990 the high prices have gone first as profit and then, as production got more expensive (compared to newer designs), profit has shrunk to such an extent that they now just drop the models when they come up against an investment wall (HP32Sii, HP17Bii).
Newer HP calcs are old designs that have been rebadged (HP6, HP9S/G) or cheaper 'new' designs that are no better than any of the competition (HP30S, HP10bii).
One execption to the above was the redesign of the HP12C as this was selling well in the finance market, however reports about the quality of the 'new' Chinese built HP12C are that the keyboards are very poor (nothing against the Chinese - HP are probably getting what they are paying for from the Chinese factory).
News of a new RPN calc have circulated from an HP press release, but the anouncement seemed to be more hope than fact - I hope they do produce a new RPN calc but I'm not holding my breath...
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