why are TI graphing calculators still so expensive

[Don Shepherd]

Having just spent $105 for their latest unit, this question is still valid. Here is a Youtube video that addresses the question historically. Interesting.

video

[Garth Wilson]

At the end, he mentions putting games on them; and not surprisingly, when our kids were in high school, they said that that was really all the kids used their required TI graphing calculators for. Even though these calcs were required, only one of our kids got one, and I'm not sure he ever used it for actual graphing. The other one used my old TI-59 and did just fine. Neither learned to program them. Both did well in the math classes.

[damaltor]

Well, my trusty old 83+SE brought me through my degrees. The answer is, at least for me, simple: because they are friggin good calculators!

Seriously, TI calculators are well-made machines with good algorithms and also usually very good usuability. The fact that you can put games on them is funny, too - but no exclusive to TI.

If you are searching for a good, fast and reliable (though huge) calculator from TI, go for the TI-92 plus - they usually sell cheap. i bought mine for 10 bucks.

[Don Shepherd]

(01-18-2016 08:41 PM)damaltor Wrote:  If you are searching for a good, fast and reliable (though huge) calculator from TI, go for the TI-92 plus - they usually sell cheap. i bought mine for 10 bucks.

Gosh, I found a box full of those 92's in the closet of my math classroom this past year, apparently surplussed by another school. I took one home and played with it one day, but that old gray display did not interest me. Those things were built like tanks and will probably outlive me.

I got the latest from TI recently, the TI 84 Plus CE, which Eddie Shore reviewed last spring when they came out. At $105, it is overpriced of course, but after playing with it for a week I rather like it. I am using it to help teach complex numbers to my current student, and I might just use it to teach BASIC programming to him as well.

[factor]

Maybe it is lack of competition? And a big solid existing customer base with the right online resources to feed potential customer's appetite?

Not being in the profession of engineers, nor I'm at the age for the public exam those calculators are approved for, I still bring the other brand CX and a PSE to work everyday. Honestly I don't use the CX often but found the PSE very handy. There are some programs (i wrote) for work that are extremely useful.

I can't do RPN but have great respect for all you can, because I believe this is a skill that works like a third hand, or brain, when solving problem. Well then for me, the next best thing is a easy-to-work-with interface, and programming in basic like procedural style available on the other brand calc.

I actually acquired the Pocket SE with a higher price than the CX CAS. But I just can't resist a calc that have the form factor (compare to the 35s) and the functionality it offers. No CAS, but ANOVA, stat tests, graphing (albeit slow), built-in TVMs, solver (I think HPs' is better), list editor, viewing matrices...

The only HP calc that would have changed my mind (instead of getting the PSE) is the 39Gii. Unfortunately I have never saw a real one at any shops here and afaik it is a discontinued product. (Btw, not even Prime is available here. Followed the local distributor list of HP's site to visit the major ones and turns out no one carry it. Amazon won't ship here).

50G is very attractive, but after trying with emulator I can't find anything i can't do on the other brand one, but that's just me. Similar thing with the C-brand flagship 9860. I have one and like the keypad ten times better than the CX. But then again, there's nothing on it I can't do with the CX, and it's way too heavy.

So, I still end up getting the other brand. With that price tag yes.

[debrouxl]

It's too bad the 84+CE is so expensive, as a special case of general gross overpricing of graphing calculator models.. The French 83PCE, which has the same hardware but superior software (its OS features an additional exact math engine), is cheaper at current EUR/USD conversion rates, but forbidden in a number of stupid standardized tests...

The eZ80 processor in the 83PCE / 84+CE hardware is 4x faster than the RAM and 8x faster than the NOR Flash memory, and could deal with 12 MB of Flash memory instead of 4 MB in the current address space layout, and/or 1 MB of RAM instead of 256 KB with a change in addressing spaces... so there's ample room for future improvement on that hardware base...
The joke is that 2018 or 2019 will bring us a 83 Extra Color Edition / 84 Super Color Edition tapping some of that evolution potential

In the TI community, we usually hold that TI's market share grew to such dominance in a number of countries because of the combination of:
* the TI-Z80 series' and TI-68k series' relative features and openness, which led me, back in 2000, to request the purchase of a TI-89 rather than e.g. a Casio "Graph 100" (French version of some fx-98* model), despite the fact that I knew how to operate the latter after using a schoolmate's Graph 100 during the previous year. HP calcs were a rarity at my high school.
* competitors' blunders, e.g. include clinging to existing calculator models and churning through minor variants thereof, not focusing on building deep ties to the education market through wide-scale T^3-style initiatives, using outrageous price tags, not making official computer versions of the software before TI did.

The Nspire series has a new set of features, e.g. full-blown documents (their implementation is horrible, but the features are quite good), but it remains a closed platform more suitable to consumers than to producers (pupils trying to go beyond what they're taught and hone their skills), sadly...

[Don Shepherd]

Thanks Lionel, good observations.

In my closet I have 4 TI-83's for use by my students, 1 TI-84 Plus Silver Edition that got me through education school about 10 years ago, 1 TI-89 Titanium, and 1 TI-Nspire CAS (monochrome, not the latest edition obviously). The 89 and Nspire, while powerful, are maddening because they are non-intuitive; I can never remember how to accomplish even simple things on them, therefore I almost never use them. The 83's and 84's are familiar machines, so they get used.

I have left the Windows PC world for the Chromebook world and am very happy there.

[ndzied1]

Old thread but my son's teacher just sent out an email suggesting he have a TI-89 for his class called multi variable calc. and diff. equ.

I found this little gem as well:
https://mic.com/articles/125829/your-old....3jVWw43pu

I couldn't convince him to take my Prime to class ... I'm sure the books all have examples w/ the TI-89 so I don't want him to be at a disadvantage...

[d b]

that's a good article ndzied1

[Joe Horn]

From the article:

Quote:"Perpendicular lines don't look perpendicular because the window is a rectangle," one Texas-based math teacher told Mic.

Why is somebody who doesn't know how to change the plot window settings on a graphing calculator teaching with it? <facepalm>

[d b]

(08-11-2016 01:55 PM)Joe Horn Wrote:  From the article:

Quote:"Perpendicular lines don't look perpendicular because the window is a rectangle," one Texas-based math teacher told Mic.

Why is somebody who doesn't know how to change the plot window settings on a graphing calculator teaching with it? <facepalm>

None of his students have showed him how to do that yet.

[Joe Horn]

(08-11-2016 05:30 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  None of his students have showed him how to do that yet.

[JimP]

(01-19-2016 01:19 PM)factor Wrote:  The only HP calc that would have changed my mind (instead of getting the PSE) is the 39Gii. Unfortunately I have never saw a real one at any shops here and afaik it is a discontinued product.

Where are you based where you can't get an HP 39gii? Have you tried TAS?

[Dave Britten]

(08-10-2016 04:49 PM)ndzied1 Wrote:  Old thread but my son's teacher just sent out an email suggesting he have a TI-89 for his class called multi variable calc. and diff. equ.

I found this little gem as well:
https://mic.com/articles/125829/your-old....3jVWw43pu

I couldn't convince him to take my Prime to class ... I'm sure the books all have examples w/ the TI-89 so I don't want him to be at a disadvantage...

The 89 is awful for day-to-day number crunching, due to heavy reliance on either using alpha keys to spell function names, or dig through weird menus to find them. If you need its functionality, go with a 92 Plus, or Voyage 200, since the OS was designed around having that QWERTY keyboard.

[Csaba Tizedes]

(01-18-2016 05:44 PM)Don Shepherd Wrote:  Having just spent $105 for their latest unit, this question is still valid. Here is a Youtube video that addresses the question historically. Interesting.

video

Early CASIOs is really looks so good. Unfortunately the 28C is much powerful...
TIs: really good calcs for quick calculations especially in statistics and data analysis. More comfortable than any HPs BTW I prefer my 48GX more.

93% of US market?! Wow, I guess I will brush up my Z80 knowledge soon.

Csaba

[Eddie W. Shore]

The TI-84+ should be on sale during this time because of back-to-school season.

[Don Shepherd]

(08-23-2016 02:34 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  The TI-84+ should be on sale during this time because of back-to-school season.

It is on sale at Target, Office Depot, and similar stores. But at $89 instead of $129, it is still grossly overpriced. It "should" cost around $20.

[JakeTse]

$105 is really too expensive! But the price of the graphing calculator Amazon sells on their website is rather reasonable, about half of that price.

[Csaba Tizedes]

FYI - Hint to next improvements:
The gyroscope in iPhone costs 0.60 USD and this pressure sensor approx 1-2 USD. I want these stuffs inside the next TI or HP or CASIO or whatever calculator.

Csaba

[Eddie W. Shore]

(01-18-2016 08:41 PM)damaltor Wrote:  Well, my trusty old 83+SE brought me through my degrees. The answer is, at least for me, simple: because they are friggin good calculators!

Seriously, TI calculators are well-made machines with good algorithms and also usually very good usuability. The fact that you can put games on them is funny, too - but no exclusive to TI.

If you are searching for a good, fast and reliable (though huge) calculator from TI, go for the TI-92 plus - they usually sell cheap. i bought mine for 10 bucks.

$10, that is a bargain! I paid about $150 when I bought the TI-92 Plus back when it was released, at least ten years ago.