I got a Casio graphing calculator when I was in high school. There were TI’s of some sort available for use in the classroom; I don’t recall what type they were, but the Casio was able to do far more. Plus, it had a 3-color screen and graphic menus for certain functions…I liked that. I ended up replacing the Casio with a TI-89 in college; it still worked, but everything we were doing in class was based off the Texas Instruments graphing calculator.
I had to purchase a non-graphing calculator for use on the FE exam…I selected the HP 35-s, and it has since replaced the TI-89 as my calculator of choice for work.
My first experience with graphing calculators was in HS as well. My math teacher was given a grant or something to acquire a full classroom set of TI-81s. He even had the overhead projector attachment for his. We each had a calculator to work on every day in class and were allowed to take them home as needed because we were the only class he used them with.
With a start like that, of course most of the kids in the class would be interested in owning TIs. We’d already used them for basic calculus, trig, advanced algebra. With half the functions down pat in the first year, what else would I look at getting when I needed a calculator for my Calculus class in college except the one I already knew how to use?
I do remember a few kids getting their own graphing calculators. A friend had a fancy HP that cost twice what the TIs cost. he was quite proud of that thing. Another kid had a really expensive Casio. (Come to think of it, the boys with the most interest in the fancy expensive calculators have the best jobs now. One is a VP for a Mega Corp and the other is a surgeon. Think there’s a connection? )
When i was in high school, in the mid-1980s, our calculators were purchased through the school. As far as i remember, we only had a choice of two models, and both were Casio. I think it was the fx-82 and the fx-550. We didn’t have much money, so i had to settle for the 82, and i was always jealous of the extra functions that my mates’ 550s had.
I think it is this. If you are a business professional or otherwise have a need for these functions, you use Microsoft Excel. The only people who need this calculator are students taking tests where they are not permitted to have a computer, hence a very limited market.
I’m thinking more that the R&D & advertising and support costs were long since amortized and paid for. The actual hardware horsepower is ancient by today’s specs. TI internal accounting wise I can’t imagine it costs more than 10 - 15 all in to put one of those units on the retail shelf. The internal TI gross profit margins for those TI83+ units being sold in 2009 have to be staggering.
I still have my 1997 TI-86 in my desk draw, and still use it. Sadly, the machine-language Tetris that ruined most of our A-level further maths group’s education got wiped before I left school. Didn’t really use it during degree/PhD as I had Matlab and Maple to play with, but back out in the real world I use it as a scientific calculator with a nice interface. Wouldn’t dream of graphing with it these days.
I was watching Apollo 13 the other day and they had a scene where they are doing calculations for a rocket burn , and I have no idea what that guy was doing with the slide rule. I assume he was calculating, but I miss the references that say add, subtract, etc.
I still have the TI-81 that i got in, what, ‘92? It’s in my desk here at work. I have NO NEED for a calculator with that much “Oomph” anymore, but for what I paid for it? besides, it’s named "Ol’ Spud" so you can’t beat that…
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