HP Prime - worthy successor to HP-71B ?

[Vincent Weber]

(09-26-2017 07:10 PM)Sukiari Wrote:  HP was shooting for the ‘use it in school then chuck it in the bin’ type of market which TI has always had success in. The Prime is not designed as a general purpose calculator for all users, it’s a school implement. Too bad that, unlike TI, HP doesn’t have the textbook publishers printing the step by step how-tos in the math textbooks, or a captive math educator market who recommends the calculator they received training in.

Ironically this product came to market right as graphing calculator apps started being allowed in schools.

I get it, HP looked at the education market and it was the biggest, but I really can’t see the Prime, with its short battery life and teething problems, taking off more than it did. It appears they no longer list the 50G on their calculator site, they’ve gone all in on the Prime. I would feel somewhat bad about this but their fans tried to warn them. Thankfully the old machines will last for a long time still and we have several options for RPN outside HP now too.

The 71b was an extremely powerful computer for its time, in a handheld form factor, with massive expansion, an excellent keyboard, a great screen, you can’t compare it to a school calculator.

The HP Prime does not look so "schooling" to me. It is well build, nice keyboard. You don't need qwerty keyboard when you can chose the right command from the menus. Its screen is good. Its volume is half of the 71B. You don't need ROM modules when you have the internet and plenty of memory. And the Prime as wireless connectivity if need be. Its battery life is quite enough, charging every two weeks is ok, at least you don't have batteries melting in the calculator if you forget them... And remember the poor autonomy of HP LED calculators ?

I thought like you not so long ago. Give it a try ! I feel the Prime is the best thing HP has produced for years. It is not perfect, it freezes some times, it's lacks some commands and directories, but there are regular updates that give hope.