Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!deccrl!news.crl.dec.com!shlump.nac.dec.com!pinbot.enet.dec.com!ervin From: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin) Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds Subject: Re: My HP48sx Rev E replacement has STICKY keys! Message-ID: <20382@shlump.nac.dec.com> Date: 20 Feb 91 15:43:44 GMT References: <1991Feb19.162623.12234@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu> <1991Feb20.142349.18592@ifi.uio.no> Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com Reply-To: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin) Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 38 > Does anyone know what HP is doing with all those revision A, B, and C > machines that are being upgraded to revision E? I sort of assumed > that instead of just throwing them away HP might actually be giving a > whole bunch away to some "charitable organization" (like a school). > It seems a shame to throw away a whole bunch of state-of-the-art > calculators with a few software bugs. >>On the other hand they could store them and use them for extra parts. Or >>clean them up and sell them (if in good condition). >>Nicolai Langfeldt People seem to have a problem with the thought of HP throwing out the old rev 48SX's that they receive for upgrades. Realistically speaking, this is the only reasonable think to do. Face it, none of the components in there are particularly valuable. It's my guess that the materials for the whole calculator probably only cost HP around $50-$75. Given that most of those would be destroyed in any effort to salvage the old rev calculators, there is very little reason to do anything but throw them out. Also, in terms of profits it makes verylittle sense to give them out. Giving the calculators away doesn't make sense in my mind. The 48SX is a terribly (wonderfully) complicated machine, and the only people who are going to take the time to learn how to use it are the people who would probably go out and buy one anyway (my opinion). Also, from an engineering perspective, engineers generally don't like to have old revs of software out in the field, and certainly a company like HP would not want to distribute machines that they were not "up to snuff". This is bad advertising, even if the customer is receiving a free machine. Still, I would love to find 10 or 20 of them in the trash. I'll bet HP must have to watch their trash very carefully these days. :-) >>>Joe Ervin