what do you think of the HP 92?

[Steve Simpkin]

Dr. William Kahan had a lot to say about how great the HP-92 was and why it was not more successful in the marketplace. In summary:

“So you’ve got to understand that the HP-92 was a gem in that it worked so flawlessly on everything. And you’d get a good printed record. Yes, well, so we were defeated by the marketing guys on two fronts. We didn’t get them into the libraries because they weren’t willing to make the big print manuals. And we didn’t get them out there in large numbers when they would have been the newest and hottest thing. We couldn’t get them out there because the price was too high, and lowering the price afterwards doesn’t really change people’s opinion. What they remember about things is first impressions, you see. You only get one chance to make a first impression. “

Dr. Kahan had more to say about the HP-92, HP-27, HP-34C and particularly the HP-15C in the following oral history.

http://history.siam.org/pdfs2/Kahan_final.pdf