Re: A89: Re: Re: Re: Re: Grayscale troubles


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Re: A89: Re: Re: Re: Re: Grayscale troubles




It's sad, but you're right. Most people have NO idea all the things that
they're calculator does. If they did, they wouldn't buy a TI-83 to begin
with. An 86 is what, 20 dollars more, and does SO much more than an 83.
These people don't care enough to use flash, so it's a big waste to get an
83.

About teachers: it was great that my high school teachers didn't know
anything, I could use the l33t 89 on everything :). Too bad my college cal I
teacher did know, though...she had and 83,83+,86,89,and 92!

Michael


> Sorry that I have to say it, but games have little to nothing to do with
> calculator purchase for Joe Average. Joe gets a TI-83 (Maybe a Plus if
he's
> feeling extravagant) because his teacher says so. Joe throws away the
manual.
> Joe is amazed that the TI-83 can do such amazing things as have an
'Equation
> Solver'. Joe doesn't understand the math that their being presented with
in the
> courses either; Joe just copies it down and memorizes it.
>
> How many people on this list are Joe Average? I know that I, personally,
bought
> a TI-89 because of the amazingly powerfull math. I was awestruck. It's let
me
> play around with a lot of things I couldn't have done before, and there is
very
> little I don't know about the things it does (That TI has provided,
anyways. I
> don't mess around in programming it much).
>
> Joe Average, on the other hand, doesn't know what to do when his
calculator is
> in Radian mode and sin(60) gets him something bizzarre.
>
> So why on earth does Joe have a TI-83? Because his teacher says so. The
teacher
> doesn't necessarily understand them either (mine doesn't) but a TI-83 is
what
> has been reccommended to them. Teacher has a printout of keystrokes that
the
> TI-83 has for special occasions.
>
> So you see, teachers are the main reason that TI sells calculators to
students.
> That's why TI acts as if the gaming community doesn't exist; The
percentage of
> people who buy their calculator because of -gaming capability- is so
miniscule
> that it is cheaper for TI to disregard them then to cooperate.
>
> That clear things up a bit?
> --robin
>
> James Darpinian wrote:
> >
> > What do you mean, they don't sell their calculators to students?  They
most
> > certainly market their calculators to students!  If they only marketed
to
> > teachers, they'd only sell calcs in Nasco and other teacher stores.
They
> > love it when teachers buy their calculators, but they depend on the
student
> > market as well.  And for the student market, grayscale is a big plus.
TI
> > may not want to admit it, but they know as well as we do that our games
are
> > a reason some people buy their calculators.  About half the people at my
> > school who own TI-89s bought them partly because of the games.  TI can't
> > ignore that kind of power.  Also, why would teachers turn to another
> > calculator just because TI provided grayscale?  Most teachers don't
follow
> > the calculator gaming scene, so they probably wouldn't even know if TI
> > released info that made grayscale faster.  There are games available for
the
> > other brands of graphing calculators too, so teachers couldn't just
switch
> > to a brand with no games.
> >
> >     James Darpinian
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: M. Adam Davis <adavis@ubasics.com>
> > To: <assembly-89@lists.ticalc.org>
> > Sent: Friday, August 04, 2000 11:44 AM
> > Subject: Re: A89: Re: Re: Re: Re: Grayscale troubles
> >
> > >
> > > TI's main (and only) market for these calculators is the educational
> > market.
> > > They sell their calculators to teachers and school decision makers,
THEY
> > DON'T
> > > SELL CALCULATORS TO STUDENTS.  They sell the teachers on them, and the
> > teachers
> > > then specify them.  For each teacher who knows how to teach with a TI
> > > calculator, TI has a dedicated sale of 80 - 500 calculators/year.
> > >
> > > If TI openly provides an easy way to use grayscale, many teachers will
> > turn to
> > > another calulator, or not teach with one at all.  Therefore it is not
in
> > their
> > > best interest (financially) to do so.
> > >
> > > The fact that TI can sell the TI-89 for as little as it does is only
> > becaus eof
> > > the volume they sell these things in.  Were they to allow game
programming
> > (ie,
> > > grayscale) then their market would drop so much that they wouldn't be
> > worth
> > > their time to build them.
> > >
> > > -Adam
> > >
> > > PsyKaBek@aol.com wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Why wouldnt Ti want grayscale?
> > > >
> > > > -Kent
> > >
>
>



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