Updated HP Web Page for the HP-15C LE

[Namir]

HP has updated the HP-15C LE web page. Now the status says "Coming Soon" and the $15 instant discount we saw yesterday IS GONE!!! So much for a little good will! They did not give the poor discount a chance!! (<sniff ... sniff>)

:-)

Namir

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 10:30 a.m.

[M. Joury]

Hi Namir,

You noticed that, did you? Also, the 12C 30th was moved to financial calculators and also lost the 15% discount, however it is actually cheaper since it's price was dropped to 79.99.

Cheers,

-Marwan

[Namir]

Marwan,

They sure lowered the price for the HP-12 30th Aniv version. Sampson Cables sells them for $99. I wonder if they will lower their prices like with the HP-15C LE.

Watching the HP web sites and the new calculator web pages change makes me feel "All dressed up and nowhere to go!"

Namir

[M. Joury]

Quote:

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Watching the HP web sites and the new calculator web pages change makes me feel "All dressed up and nowhere to go!"

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Don't I know it. I keep going back hoping for a "Buy Now" button to suddenly appear!

Cheers,

-Marwan

[Namir]

Is there any kind of dance or incantation we can recite to make that Buy Now button appear??? My nerves are shot!!!!!!

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 11:10 a.m.

[M. Joury]

LOL. Perhaps a modified version of a rain dance. [Looking up rain dance in Wikipedia].

[Namir]

Maybe a disco version rain dance. I bet you that will do it??

[M. Joury]

Maybe if we all do that in front of Tim and Co. they will be so appalled that they will throw us some morsels to go away.

[Howard Owen]

Disco ... 1981 ... Oh God!

[Michael de Estrada]

Why should you care ? ;)

[M. Joury]

Why should I care about what? The HP-12C 30th or the 15C LE or just in general? Not sure I am following the question.

Cheers

[Michael de Estrada]

I mean, didn't you already pre-order at CostCentral, or was that someone else ?

[Namir]

Anyone heard from CostCentral who has ordered the 15LE from them??

[M. Joury]

Haven't heard a peep. My order still shows up though.

[Namir]

Mine does not!! Perhaps I need to call them.

[Michael de Estrada]

Are you sure ? You may have to click on "Order History" after logging in for it to reappear.

[Namir]

For some reason I sign in and input order number and authentication data, and nothing appears. I called them and they said they have my order as a back order. So I am fine!

[Michael de Estrada]

Curious, I don't have to enter anything once I've signed in. I just click on "Order History" and it pops up.

[M. Joury]

Mine works as yours does.

[Namir]

I followed what you did and yes it show my order. I was doing it the long way and that was not working.

Thanks!

[M. Joury]

Ah, got it. Excellent memory. I did. I am just not sure I am willing to bet the farm on that order. It all depends on how fast it looks like the things are selling. I also would like to get a 12C 30th and I did not pre-order those.

I was one of those that tried to get hold of an HP Touchpad and though I did get one it was a very close thing. One thing that has happened is that lots of people bought the TP at the much reduced price and are now selling it on TAS for 2-3 times what I paid. Seeing what happened there I really don't want to miss out on a 15C and will order extra if I think that might happen.

Cheers,

-Marwan

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 11:52 a.m.

[Namir]

Also I am kicking myself for missing HHC2010 where attendees got the 15C+!! I chose to visit Sigmund Freud (his apartment in Vienna) instead!! I ought to have my head examined!!!

:-)

Namir

[M. Joury]

I, too, am kicking myself. And I was just down the road, so to speak, at the time. I considered going but just had too much going on.

[Namir]

Are you attending HHC2011?

[Pascal]

Namir,

This year if they distribute an HP-41CX LE to all participants, could you try to get an extra one for me please !! :-)

Cheers,

Pascal.

[Namir]

Of course!!

:-)

Namir

[M. Joury]

Hi Namir,

I took my response off-line and sent you an email through the forum.

Cheers,

Marwan

[Thomas Radtke]

The current price is much less than I expected originally, but don't tell 'em! ;-).

[Namir]

It will be our little secret!!! Just you and me!

[Mike Morrow]

Quote:

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The current price is much less than I expected...

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It must cost almost $1 to make these things in China. The
remaining amount ($99) covers development, overhead, and aggressive marketing program costs. :-)

[Michael de Estrada]

Aggressive marketing ? What on earth are you talking about ?

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 1:38 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

[Thomas Radtke]

C'mon, it must have cost a lot to setup fake websites and to have several dealers prematurely put offers on their sites - all this to make people endlessly curious ;-p.

[Mike Morrow]

It was part of a whimsical explanation for the currently published price of the 15C LE. (See the smiley face at the end? Some of you are taking this 15C stuff way too seriously.)

The 50g sells on HP's web site for $128. The simple and grossly less capable 15C LE now quoted at $100 appears to have a price that is completely arbitrary...one that even HP can't seem to pin down. What's it going to be a hour from now?

[Michael de Estrada]

Apples and oranges. The HP-50g has a large sales volume and unlimited supply. The HP-15C is a limited edition of an otherwise vintage product with a relatively small fixed supply. There are quality features in the HP-15C that are not present in the HP-50g, such as better keyboard and printed documentation.

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 7:32 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

[Calum Tait]

Considering it is essentially a 12C+ with slightly modified software and modified screen printing the premium seems a little high. Especially considering that the "limited edition" is 10K. We should probably be grateful that HP have listened for once and made it at all though.

[Michael de Estrada]

They still had to make all new key buttons for a relatively limited run. I'll let Tim or others more knowledgeable chime in on this, but I suspect that there were significant costs involved above those of the 12C+.

[Mike Morrow]

Quote:

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They still had to make all new key buttons for a relatively limited run.

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That's got to be it! :-) Stuff like that doesn't come cheap in China.

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 6:22 p.m.

[Mike Morrow]

Quote:

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The HP-15C is a limited edition of an otherwise vintage product...

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It's just a common non-vintage, current-production HP-12C+ running some 30-year-old firmware other than the 30-year-old firmware that the HP-12C+ normally runs. What a great technical triumph!

I can get people some "limited edition" Dale Earnhart NASCAR trinkets, if a manufacturer's declaration of "limited edition" is accepted as the signature of desirability.

Quote:

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...with a relatively small fixed supply.

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Set completely arbitrarily by HP. Caveat emptor!

Quote:

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There are quality features in the HP-15C that are not pressent in the HP-50g, such as better keyboard and printed documentation.

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How many could agree with characterization of a product that has yet to be seen, except by HP and some insiders. I recall similar pre-release speculation about the HP 35S joke.

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 6:19 p.m.

[uhmgawa]

Quote:

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The HP-15C is a limited edition of an otherwise vintage product...

Quote:

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It's just a common non-vintage, current-production HP-12C+ running some 30-year-old firmware other than the 30-year-old firmware that the HP-12C+ normally runs. What a great technical triumph!

---

---

I can't speak for HP but in my experience the 15c firmware
requires chasing a few dark corners in terms of emulator
support beyond that needed for the 11/12/16c. Also execution
time aware code exists specific to a firmware model and at the
advertised 100x speed differential, emulator support ideally
will be required to normalize some sequences to legacy
execution timing.

[Michael de Estrada]

[M. Joury]

I, personally, have never had a problem with the 50g keyboard.

[Forrest Switzer]

And, you have to pay for the supervision of the sales and marketing staff. ;-)

Florrest

[Nick R]

I'd certainly like to own a 15C once again so I can run some of the programs I wrote for this machine in 1985. I just can't understand all the reticence about price and availablity.
To me, a calculator is a simply a tool to work with, and the fact that this model is being presented as a Limited (collector's) Edition is unfortunate, as it lessens the chance that they'll be available to people outside the US who want one for daily use. I can forsee many of them being hoarded or bought up in large number by resellers who will release them in small quantities at inflated prices.

[Michael de Estrada]

I don't think the market for this calc is people who think "a calculator is a simply a tool to work with". Most people would pay far less to get something with the same featureset, or expect a lot more modern features at that price. I use my HP-50g a lot more for problems involving matrices than my HP-15C. It does have a compact size, but if I'm going to the supermarket and want to figure product pricing, I'll just take a cheap solar calc. So, again, I think this is mainly an appeal to collectors and nostalgia buffs. I do agree that 10K seems low, especially if you belief the numbers on the petition. If you live in BC, Canada, then perhaps you can befriend someone stateside to get you one.

[Nick R]

I suppose you're right. Using the 15C-LE for calculating AC networks would be similar to serving pie on a commemorative plate from the Bradford Exchange.

[Howard Owen]

Quote:

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I can forsee many of them being hoarded or bought up in large number by resellers who will release them in small quantities at inflated prices.

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Tim gave an optimistic answer that one. If demand is significant, they might run a few more through the factory. If the 10,000 units don't jump off the shelves, then the supply issue won't be there for current buyers.

Between those two extremes there's a chance that your fear might be realized. But there are alternatives, at least three 15C clones on the App Store, and even one on Android now. Current owners of 15Cs might or might not be pleased to see the prices for their old machines stay stable in the face of a new supply.

The best outcome I could hope for would be a quick sellout of the LE model, prompting HP to bring back the 15C as a normal product. Without the LE badge. those machines would be less collectable, but would amply serve those who wanted a 15C for real workflows.

[Lincoln R.]

Hm. I'm actually tempted to buy a few extra and offer them at what I paid + shipping either so someone in a country where they weren't for sale can get one or to help ruin the market for the scalpers.

[Thomas Radtke]

Quote:

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Some of you are taking this 15C stuff way too seriously.

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While I'm able to smile about the opportunity to eventually buy a 15C at a moderate price, it isn't exactly a joke ;-).

I understand (hopefully right) you do not consider this 'relaunch' to be something special, and I got your reasons. I also like the 42S after using free42 for some month now, but I take it this way: Besides the 50g, it will be the only serious scientific calculator on sale from HP, and it is sufficient for my needs. So yes, I'm serious and happy about it. And I have quite some fun following the threads and participate in them :-).

[Dominic Richens]

99$? I paid that in 1990 for my original HP-15 and according to the inflation calculator 99$ today would have cost 59$ in 1990 dollars, so that's a real steal!

[Paul Gaster]

new page with data sheet: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/215348-215348-64232-20037-215351-33532.html

I see one error on the Data Sheet so far: for entry system logic it says RPN and also chain algebraic

[Paul Gaster]

new page for 12C 30th anniverary: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/215348-215348-64232-20036-215349-5154839.html

data sheet available too. Note this one does not say anything about algebraic entry

edit: Yikes! check out the price: $104.99

You can add it to your cart and order now if you want, but how many will at that price?

Edited: 2 Sept 2011, 10:52 p.m.

[Lincoln R.]

That seems to be the price from HP's business store, the home one still lists it as $79.99 and not available.

[Jimi]

But is it available to buy anywhere? The price doesn't really matter if you can't purchase one.