iPad Crashes

[kcnicho]

@DrD:

Hi Dale,

I too am a long time HP calculator fan. Bought my first HP 15C way back when they first came out. Since then, I like a lot of us here "collect" vintage HP calculators.

There was a heyday for HP and the calculator division, back when calculators were very expensive, were built to last for decades, and back when Bill and Dave were running things. Then calculators got way, way cheaper, and it was a race to see who could make the cheapest.

Time marched on, and the company wasn't run by engineers anymore. Focus moved from long-term innovation (HPs core strength) to short-term profits. Take a look at most any analysis of "what happened to HP?" It's complex of course, and I don't pretend that a single paragraph can sum up "what happened to HP".

There were some bright lights for us calculator folks in the past decade. When the HP 35S was introduced in 2007, it looked like a return to the good old days, and the HP Prime introduced in 2013 was an actual innovation in calculator technology, better than anything else out there.

But, I suspect that HP was and is struggling as a corporation, and hard decisions have to be made where to put very limited resources. I don't know, but it seems like the calculator division (is there one?) is being handled by a very few, very dedicated and hard working folks who are struggling with shoestring budgets, but are actually trying to make/keep HP relevant in the calculator world.

It's a different world now, and those of us who remember the "good old days" of off-the-charts quality (double shot injection molding of keys?!) and support of HP calculators are the ones who see the differences the most. I applaud those at HP, or who are contracting for them who are doing their best to support the Prime, and only wish that HP could see its way clear to dedicate more badly needed resources to the task.

- Kevin