Any more HP calcs…?

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi all,

Now, with the smartphones and tablets becoming the norm, calc apps are pretty much commonplace. So, are there possibilities that handhelds would still be produced?

I could see the point and necessity for graphing calcs and the 12C. And so, what about scientific/financial programmables or even the preprogrammed (for example 32E, 37E)? Any ideas that preprogrammed calcs would still be marketable?

[toml_12953]

(10-30-2021 06:49 PM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  Hi all,

Now, with the smartphones and tablets becoming the norm, calc apps are pretty much commonplace. So, are there possibilities that handhelds would still be produced?

I could see the point and necessity for graphing calcs and the 12C. And so, what about scientific/financial programmables or even the preprogrammed (for example 32E, 37E)? Any ideas that preprogrammed calcs would still be marketable?

More and more, only diehards like us are using physical calculators. Take a look at the messages here and you'll see even a lot of people who post here only have emulators and simulators. Why? One reason is that they're cheaper than a hardware calculator. For $49.95 or so you can get an almost perfect recreation of an HP Prime or HP-50g. Try finding a real one for that price! Also, virtually every one has a phone with them at all times. Why carry a separate bulky calculator around? The phone slips into a pocket or purse easily. As for myself, I really like the mechanical click of keys but for a generation that grew up with haptic feedback, touching a glass screen seems normal. Generally, a phone runs calculator programs much faster than the real thing, too. Instant gratification is a big seller.

[mfleming]

Go into any office supply store and you'll find a section with desktop and handheld calculators. Many of the desktop units include a printer. If you were a small business owner, would you want your bookkeeper using their phone to track cash flow? Your accountant tapping a phone screen to figure your tax liability? Your investment manager tapping on his iPhone while reviewing your portfolio? A dedicated device that only calculates serves a useful business purpose, and can even be viewed as part of professional accessorizing.

There will always be a need for physical calculators, just not as much as there once was.

[Steve Simpkin]

(10-30-2021 09:19 PM)mfleming Wrote:  Go into any office supply store and you'll find a section with desktop and handheld calculators. Many of the desktop units include a printer. If you were a small business owner, would you want your bookkeeper using their phone to track cash flow? Your accountant tapping a phone screen to figure your tax liability? Your investment manager tapping on his iPhone while reviewing your portfolio? A dedicated device that only calculates serves a useful business purpose, and can even be viewed as part of professional accessorizing.

There will always be a need for physical calculators, just not as much as there once was.

True but I would think it would be more common for an account or tax professional to be entering numbers into a program on their computer via the numeric keyboard instead of using a dedicated calculator.

[Thomas Okken]

(10-30-2021 11:49 PM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  True but I would think it would be more common for an account or tax professional to be entering numbers into a program on their computer via the numeric keyboard instead of using a dedicated calculator.

That's not the greatest option if you're using a laptop with the typical, numerical-keypad-less, laptop keyboard...

[Steve Simpkin]

(10-30-2021 11:52 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote:  

(10-30-2021 11:49 PM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  True but I would think it would be more common for an account or tax professional to be entering numbers into a program on their computer via the numeric keyboard instead of using a dedicated calculator.

That's not the greatest option if you're using a laptop with the typical, numerical-keypad-less, laptop keyboard...

Very true. I was thinking of my tax preparer who uses a desktop computer and specialized tax software. For a laptop you could use a USB numeric keypad but it is somewhat cumbersome.

[mfleming]

(10-30-2021 11:52 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote:  

(10-30-2021 11:49 PM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  True but I would think it would be more common for an account or tax professional to be entering numbers into a program on their computer via the numeric keyboard instead of using a dedicated calculator.

That's not the greatest option if you're using a laptop with the typical, numerical-keypad-less, laptop keyboard...

Nor for the small "Mom and Pop" businesses that will likely remain a market for physical calculators. Why buy a two thousand dollar laptop when a twenty dollar calculator will do the job without the need for expensive software and considerable investment in learning how a program works. Point taken though regarding a tax professional. They're paid enough to afford the investment - if they have sufficient clients!

The "Will calculators survive" question comes up repeatedly (and predictably in this forum ). Thought I'd throw in a user segment that won't likely give them up. We tend to think of our own use (personal, engineering) of these devices rather than that of the general public. There must be a sizable market (besides education) for calculators or they'd be gone by now.

[Jim Horn]

As an electrical engineer doing complex design work, I use a company laptop for most of my calculating, usually with specialized software or Excel. But for quick number crunching, rather than opening a new window which blocks what I'm working on, a physical calculator is like an always ready extra window with terrific user feedback. So my HP 50g (work) or WP 34S (home) get plenty of use.

[Roberto Volpi]

Calculators, smartphone emulators and PC have all different uses.

- Calculators: to quickly perform math that would be cumbersome to execute with a PC. Ex. weighted mean of 5 couples of data within seconds. Furthermore the ergonomic of a calculator is far better than that of a smartphone emulator.

- Smartphone emulators: to perform math when a calculator is not in reach. Ex. you are in your car, bus stop, supermarket, etc, and you have a sudden need to solve a math problem.

- PC: for more complex math where load of data, or better visual effects, are required. Ex. matrices 10x10, detailed function analysis, statistics with dozens or hundreds sets of data, etc.

Just my 2 cents.