Reasons for choosing a 12c Platinum over the 17bII+? Message #1 Posted by Jorge M. Treviño on 1 Apr 2008, 4:50 p.m.
I am aware that the 12c is the best selling HP calculator ever and also the longest in production; however, I cannot fathom the reasons for this. I'd like your opinions.
My first HP financial calculator was the original 12c, purchased in 1981. Later on, I tried to replace it with a 17B when it hit the market. I liked the features but hated the by then unfamiliar and awkward Algebraic mode, so I returned to my 12c. When HP finally wisened and came out with the 17bII, I got one and soon it became 2nd nature. The keys performed one or two functions at the most and the softkeys were great, with mostly logical and intuitive arrangemets.
Some weeks ago, my aging 17bII gave up the ghost (the LCD just blanked out) and I hurried to the local Office Depot to replace it. As things usually go, they didn't have one, but they did have the 25th anniversary 12c Platinum. The salesman said that the 17bII+ was out of stock and didn't know when they would get more, passingly mentioning that financial calculators were all but replaced by handheld organizer software and spreadsheets.
I returned to my office and tried to get a 17 from the Office Depot internet portal, only to find it was also out-of-stock.
Since I live in Mexico and then in a small place, and while my trades are new car distribution and real-state developement, I cannot live without a good financial calc at hand. I do have some .prc calcs for my Palm but they're just not the real thing.
Thus, I returned to OD and -reasoning that I had previously used and enjoyed my original 12c- I got the 25th anniversary Platinum and headed back to my office to relearn it.
So far, it's been an excercise in frustration. It doesn't display operators, CF solving, that in the 17 was a breeze, is a true bitch, forcing me to go for Excel instead (if I have a computer at hand). Depreciation idem. The only thing that is fairly straightforward are the TVM calcs. I've checked again and OD has the 17bII+ in stock now (on their web portal, not locally). It means an expense of over USD $220, including shipping. Since Ive just spent about $150 on the 12c Pt, I wonder if I should plough on trying to relearn it, or I should bite the bullet and write it off to a necessary but transitory evil.
Any comments on the matter much appreciated.
Jorge (México)
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