HP-95–The printing HP-65

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi all.

Although a printing version of a programmable calculator came out in ‘76—the HP-97 with a hefty $795 price tag, would a printing version of the 65 have been possible? Yeah, to put it in perspective, a printing 65 would have probably cost $1,500.

[Steve Simpkin]

Would it have been possible? Sure. The printing HP-46 and HP-91 had come out a year earlier in 1973 and it should have been possible to shoehorn a card reader into the chassis. I suspect it was more of a marketing decision or perceived lack of demand. The main attraction of the HP-65 is that it was a programmable calculator with a card reader that fit in your shirt pocket. If someone needed a printing version of this they could always buy the more capable (and more expensive) HP 9810A desktop calculator that had been introduced in 1971.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp9810.htm

By the way for anyone who did not already know. The designation HP-95C was used on an unreleased programmable desktop printing calculator (but without a card reader) that would have come out around 1977. I still remember hearing a presentation from one of the developers of the HP-95C at HHC 2011. He still sounded angry that the HP-95C project was killed just before final production.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp95c.htm

[Matt Agajanian]

Yes, I’m awake of the 95C. In fact, I managed to grab the manual that’s floating around the Internet.