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I've seen them at different angles on the same model, so I'd imagine the labels are either applied by humans working very fast (quite likely in the land of 25 cent/hour labor) or a very poorly calibrated machine (also somewhat likely since serial number labels aren't really a critical part).
Although one thing I am curious about: We're pretty sure we know that HP and TI use largely the same contract manufacturers. I haven't seen a TI with a stick-on label, so the companies probably have the equipment for engraving serial numbers, unless TI does something ridiculous like engrave serial numbers when they get the calculators at their warehouse. This could be possible, the last TI I bought was in around 2005 or 2006, the calculator was made in China, but the batteries and manual were both made in the USA. I doubt TI would waste money shipping batteries and paper overseas only to be shipped back inside calculator boxes.
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Quote:
For all China-made HPs it appears that machinery is in use to apply the serial number strip crookedly, by design. If the strips were applied manually, at least some should occasionally be correctly applied, just by chance. Has anyone ever observed otherwise?
Mine is very nearly perfectly straight.