How does one buy the latest hardware release.

[DrD]

Hi Keith -

In order to answer the question about what should be done, makes me wonder what your previous experience with Hewlett Packard might be. For example, are you one of the long standing hp customers, who have evolved through the various calculator offerings? Do you have additional experience with hp test and measurement equipment, etc?

Those of us who have a lot of experience with hp products know that product quality used to be a high priority, and the mere name Hewlett Packard on a product was equivalent to the best that money could buy. Little worry over fitness for purpose and durability.

Forty years worth of my personal experience, electronic test equipment, like the AF and RF generators, distortion analyzers, oscilloscopes, telephone test sets (TIMS), and several calculators from the HP-25, 48, 49, 50, and now we have the hp prime, in at least three versions. I have also purchased several printers, desktops, and my current laptop is an hp Spectre x360. I must have spent well over $100,000 with all the hp 'stuff' I have owned and used professionally, over the years. When I purchased the hp 49, it wasn't long before hp replaced it with the much improved hp50 (at no additional charge).

So what I would like is for hp to offer an upgrade path. Worst case scenario, I pay full retail, and at least <get> a new visible keyboard version. Then other things that would be consistent with earlier corporate quality / customer service, would be to offer a discounted exchange program, or a free hardware upgrade where you send old unit back, and get refurbished new style keys device, or a complete replacement.

Something like that would make long time customers, like myself, more confident in the hp product offerings of today, and more engaging in purchase selections going forward. Finally, I would like hp to be able to direct me to a resource where I could at least purchase a new visible keyboard prime.

-Dale-