Re: HP Calc. Promo Message #17 Posted by John L. Shelton on 25 Aug 2005, 1:43 a.m., in response to message #1 by Mary
I'm a business+technical consultant, an employee of a large company. I rarely use a calculator now, but have been a moderate user in the past. Typically, my business-calculation problems are better served by using spreadsheets. I have in the past used the -12C and other financial calculators when making mortgage comparisons.
For many years, people bought the -12C because it was the best tool out there, and they saw it being used by those whose judgment they valued. At the time, HP calculators had a reputation, deserved, of being better built, easier to use, and featureful. A "promotion" does not change the equation any - to succeed, you must still have the same attributes, or perhaps lead people to believe you do. 25 years is remarkably long to live on the reputation of a technology product.
I suspect many here would agree that the -12C (current incarnation) no longer excels in build-quality, ease-of-use, and features. You have other models that compete in some ways, and overall quality has dropped in comparison to that of other companies.
How about building a calculator for the next 25 years, one that honors what the -12C offered for so long? Give us something to be proud of today. Heck, even just update the current model, with a return to the tip-top quality keyboard and add a backlit display. But HP can do better. And HP hasn't lost the business market the way it lost the education market. Consider addressing the business calculator market in an innovative way, such as making the pocket calculator a true extension of other devices, via downloading or networking.
Perhaps, though, dedicated calculators are a dead end. Perhaps the fitting tribute to the -12C is an HP-branded emulator running on Windows desktops and hand-held PDAs. *sigh*
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