4 ms·

$160 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI84-TI-Calculator/dp/B0G8SFR7DH?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI84-TI-Calculator/...

$160 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI84-TI-Calculator/dp/B0G8SFR7DH?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI84-TI-Calculator/... Not as bad as I would've expected. Also, apparently it includes a very simple Python environment? https://education.ti.com/en/product-resources/eguides/eguide-84-evo/python https://education.ti.com/en/product-resources/eguides/eguide...

retired 5mo ago
For a $10 BoM and maybe a year of R&D I would say that $160 is bad.
- aaronbrethorst 5mo ago
  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.
  - LeCompteSftware 5mo ago
    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.
    - aaronbrethorst 5mo ago
      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.
      - LeCompteSftware 5mo ago
        > $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 5mo ago
        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.
      - echoangle 5mo ago
        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?
        mrguyorama 5mo ago
        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 5mo ago
        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.
    - retired 5mo ago
      This has a 156Mhz processor. My lightbulb has more calculating power than that.
- andyfilms1 5mo ago
  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 5mo ago
    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.
sobellian 5mo ago
With a CPU 3x faster than a z80, you gotta wonder how many seconds per python instruction.
xbar 5mo ago
It is an abysmal value. Your corner drugstore sells an AP/SAT approved calculator for $9 to $29. I will buy one anyway because calculators remain a modest luxury that I want to indulge.

retired 5mo ago

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

aaronbrethorst 5mo ago
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.
- LeCompteSftware 5mo ago
  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.
  - aaronbrethorst 5mo ago
    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.
    - LeCompteSftware 5mo ago
      > $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 5mo ago
        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.
    - echoangle 5mo ago
      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?
      - mrguyorama 5mo ago
        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 5mo ago
        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.
  - retired 5mo ago
    This has a 156Mhz processor. My lightbulb has more calculating power than that.
andyfilms1 5mo ago
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 5mo ago
  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.

sobellian 5mo ago

With a CPU 3x faster than a z80, you gotta wonder how many seconds per python instruction.

xbar 5mo ago

It is an abysmal value. Your corner drugstore sells an AP/SAT approved calculator for $9 to $29. I will buy one anyway because calculators remain a modest luxury that I want to indulge.