Ever since reading this message thread, I've been curious about the reported decline in quality. So today at lunchtime, I went over to the local Office Max and tried out an HP-12C. It was shocking, to say the least. The printing on the keys was dull and dark; in fact, the blue lettering was almost indistinguishable from the black keys. The area between the keys was not the rich black of older models, but rather a rough-looking surface that looked like it had soot rubbed on it. Finally, the mushy keys had none of the snappy feel of my beloved 1982 HP-16C or HP-41CV keyboards. I've always considered the Voyager series to be almost works of art, but this 12C was pitiful. It truly saddens me to see Hewlett-Packard (of which I've been a loyal fan for many years) turn out such a sorry piece of work.
Now I'm starting to wonder what kind of quality I'll find in the HP-48GX I ordered just last night for my son...