Now I have a voice in my head saying "you were sooo stupid to buy this HP calculator"

[debrouxl]

Indeed, most real mathematicians scorn color screen and touch screen. However, in today's marketplace, real mathematicians are a minority. What makes the bulk of the sales figures, in terms of numbers, are students (as well as a number of their teachers) - and to this audience, nowadays, backlit color screens and visual features matter... A number of parents genuinely believe that interactive teaching concepts, based on newfangled modern technology based on color calculators, will help their kids succeed.

IMO, the fact that the 39gII, which was a brand-new design (and as such, higher risk than e.g. the 84+CSE, 82A, Graph 25/35-E), doesn't have a color screen, doesn't help HP in an uphill battle against TI's penetration in the education marketplace (sales figures, plus teacher training, books, etc., as you mention). All the more its software is not otherwise flawless.