There is no doubt: Texas Instruments invented the electronic calculator in 1967, and they even got the patent. However, TI's first model (Cal-Tech) was just a prototype that never made it to production. Texas Instrument's first series produced calculator (Datamath) came on the market in 1972 - and had no chance with its four basic operations against the simultaneously released scientific HP-35.
From there on, technical progress was mainly driven by Hewlett-Packard:
- The first pocket calculator with trigonometric and logarithmic functions: HP-35 (1972) versus SR-50 (1974)
- The first programmable calculator: HP-65 (1974) versus SR-52 (1975)
- The first calculator with magnetic card reader: HP-65 (1974) versus SR-52 (1975)
- The first high-performance programmable calculator: HP-67 (1976) vs TI-59 (1977).
- The first calculator with non-volatile memory: HP-25C (1976) versus Ti-58C (1977).
- The first calculator with alphanumeric liquid crystal display: HP41 (1979) versus TI-88 (1982 - never released).
- The first pocket calculator interface for data acquisition: HP-IL (1981) versus TI-CBL (Calculator Based Laboratory) (1994).
- The first calculator that could calculate with complex numbers: HP-15 (1982) versus TI-68 (1988).
- The first pocket calculator in landscape mode with the QWERTY keyboard: HP-71 (1984) versus TI-95 (1986).
- The first pocket calculator with BASIC programming: HP-71 (1984) versus TI-74 Basicalc (1985).
- The first calculator with a computer algebra system (CAS): HP-28 (1987) versus TI-92 (1995).
- The first powerful graphing calculator: HP-48 (1990) versus TI-85 (1992).
- The first calculator based on the new ARM processor architecture: HP-49g + (2003) versus TI-Nspire (2007).
Symbolic algebra seemed to be especially difficult to Texas Instruments. What the HP-28 managed already in 1987, Texas Instruments could only realize eight years later in the TI-92 following the acquisition of the Derive software. After all, the TI-92 had an unusual design, which at least was not copied from the major competitor. And the TI-CAS (computer aided algebra system) was much more powerful than that of Hewlett-Packard's HP-48 series. Only after the introduction of the HP-49 in 1999 HP's CAS was again on par with TI's.
Both opponents were at the same time with the introduction of flash memory: In 1999 both the HP-49G and the TI-83 Plus appeared, the former with 2 Mbytes flash memory, the latter with 512 KBytes.
By the end of 2006 or early 2007 the TI-n
spire arrived at the market: A programmable graphing calculator with a novel, computer-like operating concept and a large, high resolution display. Mathematical tasks are managed in documents that may contain several pages. These pages contain not only the actual calculation, but also explanatory text, graphics or Excel-like tables. The operating concept is entirely tailored to the requirements of modern mathematics teaching in schools. For engineers or students this is a bit complicated, because you can not calculate "straight on", but you must first create a new document (just as in computers). There is also a computer software for Windows and Macs, that replicates all the functions of the calculator one to one and can be used for teaching purposes.
The CAS (computer aided algebra system) of the TI-n
spire was enhanced again and beats it's competitor, the HP-50, significantly in some areas. In addition, the TI-n
spire is much more intuitive to use.
Until today (2011) Hewlett-Packard does not offer a similar "math-learning system". If, however, you believe this is (finally) an original invention of Texas Instruments, you are obviously not aware of the Casio ClassPad 300. It was released four years earlier in 2003 and anticipates all "new" features of the TI-n
spire - including a replica of the calculator in computer software.