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Craig Thomas · 05-10-2014, 05:28 AM

You are certainly correct. When it comes to large, modern corporations I HAVE gotten pretty cynical. 20 years at the Boeing Company living Dilbert's life will do that.

I actually sent a letter to David Packard while he was still alive and working, about the low-power indicator on the HP-29C (I think that was the one) and got a great letter back from some VP who said Mr. Packard wanted me satisfied and please don't send any more letters to Mr. Packard....it still makes me chuckle.

This calculator, the Prime, is potentially the best thing they've made. Except for the keys, the unfinished firmware, the math majors idea of RPN, the documentation....

It could be an excellent engineering calculator AND a great calc for students. It isn't yet.

It will be terrific if I'm proven overly cynical and it all comes together with a bow on top. I'll be glad to be wrong in my cynicism about it.

(05-08-2014 03:30 PM)Brad Barton Wrote:
(05-08-2014 04:44 AM)Craig Thomas Wrote: I forgot to mention the 'documentation', available only as a download...not counting the old version on disc it ships with. Hopefully, they may update it someday as well. It's a bit problematic, again vastly unlike what used to ship. I've simply put my Prime aside against the day of 'upgraded' firmware and accompanying and accurate documentation.

Guess I'm a bit peeved buying something as incomplete as this. Yes, lots of promise, with no actual promises' about what it will eventually become. It's easy to get the idea 'they' don't know either.

You seem pretty disappointed with the Prime at this point, and that's understandable if you're used to the way HP used to be. That HP existed in a different time and a different market though. The market in those days allowed them to take the time to perfect the manual. The market in those days allowed them to beta-test the hell out of the product. The market in those days allowed them to make double-shot keys and beautifully made user's manuals.

Remember that the HP-67 was $450 in 1976 dollars when it came out. A quick trip to http://www.inflationdata.com shows that's equivalent to $1,912.44 in today's money. If they were getting that much for the Prime, I'll bet the quality and manual would be closer to that we saw in the 70's and 80's.

But does the quality have to be as good as the old machines when the cost of a new super-capable calculator has dropped 93.2%? I suppose not. It's the market that's made it the way it is. Back in the day it was TI and HP, and everyone else was an also-ran. Now there's Casio and others, Excel and tablet PCs, iphones and ipads. HP can't ask $2K for a calculator and expect to get ANY sales. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on the most perfect Prime, built and documented like a 41CX, would you?

Plus the new models have so much more capability than before! Every feature you add increases the potential for bugs exponentially. I have no idea what HP's calculator division has for a budget, but I'll bet it's a lot smaller than the printer division (who btw turns out complete crap). There's almost no way to economically beta-test every feature given the resources HP allows. We're part of that process like it or not. As long as this dialog exists though, we've got a chance to improve the end result. You wouldn't have seen that in the 70's or 80's. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but there it is.

Speaking of the increased capability, have you seen how the Prime operates compared to some of the other graphing calculators. Here's a link to a youtube video comparing it with Casios and TIs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmdudS30OBI It looks pretty damn amazing to me, and so fast! Very impressive and a big boost in my mind in the Prime's attraction.

Not sure where I was going with all this. I guess I'm trying to say I see why you're disappointed, and I can identify with it. I'm trying to see why things are the way they are, and live within those constraints. I have faith that the Prime will improve, but I also see it's a pretty amazing device already. I see others are leaning away from the Prime, but I'm leaning more towards it than ever. Not pulling the trigger yet, but the hammer's cocked.