It's 2010 and I still use a calculator that was designed and built in 1981. To put this in perspective, this is pretty much the same as coming across someone who still uses their original IBM PC (also from 1981) for day-to-day work, despite all the staggering improvements in technology since then.
Original IBM PCs are now museum pieces, only fit for wry amusement from cellphone-wielding nostalgics who each carry a trillion times more processing power in their handsets.
The HP-12C calculator, on the other hand, is not only still around, but also still being actively manufactured. Some financial institutions still issue them to new employees with orders to master its operation within a few weeks or risk falling behind on the job.
This is no trivial task. For a start, the 12C, like a lot of HP calculators from that generation, uses an unusual data entry method, called Reverse Polish Notation. There's no equals key. You push in numbers, press the enter key and then the operation you want to do. It's definitely nothing like a traditional calculator. Also, if you have an original model coming up for its 30th birthday, then it can take a minute to churn through a calculation - very impressive for 1981, but not a patch on a modern spreadsheet. There's only a single line display, 10 digits long.
Dedicated followers
So why all the fanaticism? It can't be mere nostalgia, because even people who weren't born when the 12C came out are devoted users. But they've been seduced by the experience of actually using one. It fits in a shirt pocket. It's light, but feels rugged.
Rumour has it that it can be thrown against a wall and carry on as normal. The buttons feel solid and are carefully spaced, close enough to bang in a bunch of numbers comfortably, but not too close to make mistakes.
The keyboard is also sensibly organised, starting with the fact that it's laid out horizontally rather than vertically. The right side is for data entry, the left for data manipulation and the “enter” key is large and in the centre.
Never-ending
Reverse Polish Notation makes a lot of sense once you get used to it - no brackets to remember for one - and long, complex calculations are very easy to zip through. It's programmable. The battery life is legendary. HP used silver oxide batteries in the 1980s, before they were restricted to US military use only - so you could expect 10 years or more life out of the original models. Apparently, a little star symbol comes on the corner of the screen when the battery needs replacing, but I've never seen it and I've never met anyone who has.
It's a useful weapon in the worldwide struggle against brokers, insurance salespeople, bank managers - anyone really who wants to part you from your money over time.
'Will I really pay less for this vehicle? I don't think so, Mr Financier - my 12C says here you're a scumbag.' If you've forgotten the formula for the time value of money, it's etched on the back of the calculator, another mark of good design: making it easy not to forget how to use it. Even the manual is a crash course in finances and financial modelling. Nowadays, manuals seem to be 95% limited warranty legalese and 5% useful information.
But just occasionally, a classic piece of engineering will survive.
Paul Furber, contributor, ITWeb
Perhaps the only superior calculator is the HP-15C, which was the same form factor as the 12C, but aimed at the scientific and engineering community. It unfortunately was discontinued in 1989, but that hasn't stopped thousands of people petitioning HP to bring it back. They still go for $200-plus on eBay.
There isn't much room today for beautiful and functional hardware that can last a generation. Moore's Law means that we churn through our consumer electronics quickly, always upgrading, always throwing out the old.
But just occasionally, a classic piece of engineering will survive. Even more rarely, it will thrive. If you search the Web for descriptions of the HP-12C, you'll find it compared to the SR-71 Blackbird, the samurai sword and the original Porsche. I don't think any of these comparisons are unwarranted. Perhaps this is what author and architect Christopher Alexander was taking about when he described Quality Without A Name: not one single feature, but the harmony of the whole.
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