Why did HP stop designing new calculators? I have a theory,
I have heard that the main reason HP stoped creating new calculators is because they can't dominate the market. Interesting enough, It is very difficult to walk-in to a store and buy a HP 48 or HP 49 as well as many other models. In my quest to find a HP 49, I went to Office max, Staples, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City and some other smaller electronic chains and could not find the HP 49. None of these stores could even "special order" it either. I think one reason why HP didn't dominate the market is because their calculators are to hard to find!
I am an engineering student at Northeastern University a fairly large school and NO ONE I know uses or owns a HP calculator! I have never seen a HP 48 or 49 in person. Most people don't even know HP makes Graphing calculators. The few (1-2) that do know this say "I don't want to learn RPN" (They don't know the HP 49's and others default mode is algebraic)
The only reason I want a HP calculator is because I have used the emulator/simulator on the PC. I think that TI calculators and (even worse) Casio calculators are more wide-spread because they are so easily available and people can try them out at stores like staples and actually purchase them at a store.
People won't buy what they can't find.
ARUID