For a $10 BoM and maybe a year of R&D I would say that $160 is bad.

andyfilms1 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Their engineers are still trying to figure out how to make backlit keys. Just give them another two decades, I'm sure they'll crack it.

	▲	retired 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The $0.03 LED, $0.04 diffuser panel and the extra 3 cents for manufacturing keys with transparency will eat into their 93% profit margin. Can't have that. The children will just have to use a desk light.

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aaronbrethorst 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

A TI-83 was about $100 in the year 2000, and it doesn't look like it's that much cheaper today. I would've expected Texas Instruments to try gouging their very captive market.

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LeCompteSftware 3 hours ago | parent [-]

But you can't divorce that from computing technology in general. A TI-83 used a z80 in 2000 and was priced at 1990's z80 rates, it was already gouging even back then! Now 26 years later the TI-84 uses an ez80 (or something something similar), which was introduced in 2001.

TI has always gouged their captive market. It is just increasingly ridiculous when those students also have smartphones.

FWIW I think these graphing calculators are quite good for 2026 students! It is nice to have a computer which is actually comprehensible. They just need to be more like $50. $160 is just evil.

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retired 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

This has a 156Mhz processor.

My lightbulb has more calculating power than that.

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aaronbrethorst 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Shrug. The SAT and ACT don't let you use an iPhone on their exams. $160 is what the market will bear. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it just is, and perhaps there's a market for a much cheaper competitor to beat TI here.

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echoangle 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Is it a free market? Can students choose any calculator they want as long as it’s certified for their tests or is it mandated by the school?

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mrguyorama an hour ago | parent [-]

You can use any calculator that meets the restrictions for things like the SAT.

However.

The entire year, your textbooks, your teacher, your in-class practice, was walking you through the specific commands you need to select to actually do the things, like graphing and solving.

If little Timmy is unable to read the manual about how to do math he doesn't yet know with whatever his specific calculator is, he is at a severe disadvantage, and the teacher basically cannot help him.

A friend in high school bucked the trend and used a casio in our TI based education, and did just fine for himself, but he was apparently a smart kid.

	▲	retired an hour ago \| parent [-]
		That problem could be solved by creating a 1:1 clone regarding buttons and user interface. But I guess TI has a good legal team to tackle that.

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LeCompteSftware 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> $160 is what the market will bear.

You previously acknowledged it's a "very captive market" that you "would've expected Texas Instruments to try gouging" :) "$160 is what the very captive market will bear until the state-sanctioned gouging backfires" is a less compelling argument.

"Shrug" is kind of gross. Seems like you're being reflexively cynical.

Edit: to be clear the problem here is really local school boards being antidemocratic and unaccountable, not TI being greedy.

	▲	aaronbrethorst 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Seems like you're being reflexively cynical There are plenty of things in the world for me to spend my limited supply of outrage on. Calculator pricing doesn't make it into the top 100.