HP Prime Hardware (internal and external)

[dbbotkin]

Well considering the issues associated with the breakup of h/p into 2 divisions (a cause, not an excuse, at the corporate level) and relative importance of the calculator group (a fact unknown to me) and the integrity of the calculator tech support people I have spoken with, I have nothing but respect for the suffering of those attached to the Prime project. Another post here (Tim Wessman?) commented on the relative maturity of the 50G (software enhanced from 1999) and the incredible power of the newbie Prime and I agree that is unfair to compare on the basis of glitches. But, I don't mind being a beta-buyer, some might.

The problem is at the senior corporate level--too much B-School and not enough engineering--and even the senior team/project leaders are hobbled by a 'build it cheap' philosophy. OK, much of that 'cheap plastic' is the result of initiatives to make products easily recyclable and reduce environmental impact. Apple can make a product that is both elegant and recyclable, albeit with higher cost.

How much extra would it have cost to injection-mold the case using a plastic like in the 'old' h/p's (my h/p67 for example) or to let some real users review the color scheme for the keys (or better, stick with the colors that worked)? And that shiny silver metal add-on is a joke. (I took my Prime apart and painted the silver to flat black: it made the keys much more readable)

The PC board hardware and the latest software is phenomenal and there is room in the case for future goodies, I wonder if there is a large enough market for a Prime Pro to make it worthwhile to build one?