i made a comparison of the last generation (Chinese) 12c’s with the 12CP. i did find that the 12c had declined considerably in quality from its original manufacture and the Chinese versions were definitely of inferior quality. i found it somewhat subjective whether a last generation 12c or a 12cp is preferable. for example, some people like the new 12cp style and some people hate it. some people think the 12cp keys are not so bad and some think they are poor. i thought they were adequate but could be better.
in terms of bugs and performance, the 12cp is faster but less stable at certain edge-case calculations. not sure if these cases really matter for real world calculations. the 12cp has more memory but theres a bug in the rom that prevents it from being fully utilised. is this still true, anyone?
personally, if you are thinking of buying a new 12cp, consider paying the same money for a good condition older 12c. you can get a older 12c for cheap if it’s a bit beaten up. i don’t necessarily recommend this, but i have two that are beaten up and yet the keys and display are still fine to use.
not sure of the lifetime of the 12cp keyboard or batteries.
http://www.voidware.com/calcs/hp12cp.htm
http://www.voidware.com/calcs/hp12c.htm
Edited: 28 Oct 2004, 3:15 p.m.