The story of TI's domination of the educational market for calculators
is one of a combination of having the right products at the right time
and aggressive efforts to create barriers to entry for competitors.
TI was one of the first companies to develop an affordable scientific
calculator. A variety of factors made it attractive to schools.
First, unlike HP, TI did not require Reverse Polish Notation for data
entry, which many students found difficult to understand. Second,
programmable calculators were viewed as potentially creating problems,
and HP's entire line was focused on programmability. Third, TI
offered a reasonable array of functions at a low price. Fourth,
schools had to settle upon some kind of standard because difference in
capabilities between different brands created confusion in the
classroom.
"Re: The market was lost to HP in 1978" by Steve (August 10, 2000)
http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/archv003.cgi?read=5567
TI began to focus on developing calculators for educational purposes
early, beginning in 1985. By 1987, TI was obtaining teacher input as
part of the design process.
"20 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY" (January 7, 1993)
http://www.thocp.net/hardware/ti_calculators.htm
TI's calculators were very well received by educators. Even though
Casio was the first company to produce graphics calculators for high
schools and TI did not have a graphics calculator until 1990, about
five years later, TI's design that incorporated educators' input made
it extremely popular.
"Graphics calculators in upper secondary courses" by Barry Kissane,
Murdoch University (July 1995)
http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~kissane/SEApaper.htm
The popularity of TI's calculators led to a variety of resources being
created by enthusiasts on the Internet to make using them in the
classroom easier. "Helpful Links!" Mathematics Help Central
http://www.mathematicshelpcentral.com/helpful_links.htm. "Texas
Instruments" Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/topic/texas-instruments
Graphing calculators in general were also viewed as offering
significant benefits in math education. TI has been a significant
funder of such research. "John G. Harvey" University of Wisconsin
http://www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ci/mathed/index.html?harvey/index.html~main
"AP Calculus and Technology: A Retrospective" by Dan Kennedy,
Mathematics Teacher (November 2002)
http://165.24.202.33/classes/calculus/calc_apexam.pdf describes the
process whereby graphing calculator usage was adopted for the AP
Calculus exam. TI happened to have a calculator that did not have a
function that the AP committee found objectionable, which proved
beneficial to the company. Furthermore, once the AP committee decided
to allow graphing calculator use on the AP calculus exam, use of such
technology was taught to teachers through AP workshops. The adoption
of calculators for use on the SAT exam has made them even more
essential in classrooms.
TI has done a great deal to further cement its position in the
marketplace. It has worked with textbook publishers to develop
curriculum designed for use with its calculators: "TI 83/84 PLUS
Activities" Pearson Prentice Hall (2004)
http://www.phschool.com/sales_support/marketing_websites/PH/PH_TX_INSTR/activities.html.
TI has also sought to move the use its calculators beyond math
classes. "In addition, Texas Instruments has developed a whole line
of scientific accessories that expand the capabilities of the graphing
calculator in such a way that students can perform experiments and
collect scientific data with them. This increases TI?s reach to the
science classroom." "The Use of Graphing Calculators in Mathematics
Education" by Jane Lee (October 15, 2002)
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~leejane/midterm.pdf.
TI maintains an extensive web site to assist teachers and students
with the use of its calculators in education at
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/.
TI has continued to develop its technologies to keep competitors at
bay, particularly handheld manufacturers. "Last week, Texas
Instruments announced an effort to link its calculators within a
networked classroom. TI's Navigator system, which costs roughly
$10,000, creates a wireless network in which a teacher can monitor a
classroom of students who are using its TI-83 Plus calculators."
"'An important part of the success of the TI-83 Plus is the critical
price point of under $100,' Ferrio said. 'Our experience convinces us
that teachers are quite willing to recommend students purchase
products under $100, but are much more resistant to recommend
higher-priced products.'"
"HP says calculator-handheld combo doesn't add up" By Ian Fried, CNET
News.com (February 14, 2001)
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-252597.html?legacy=cnet
"If you do purchase a new graphing calculator, please save the proof
of purchase for our school. Texas Instruments offers equipment to
schools in exchange for the proof of purchase codes." "RE:
CALCULATORS IN MATHEMATICS CLASSES" Community High School Mathematics
Department http://www.d94.org/registration04/MathLetterTorres.htm
"Assuming you buy Soloway's initial arguments and agree that someday
handheld computers should be introduced in K-12 classrooms, he'll
press on. He'll say, "Math teachers have been using them for years.
They're called graphing calculators."
He's right, of course. Only now, they're not just in math classes.
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) graphing calculators are used in about
85 percent of U.S. public high schools. Instead of waiting for
relative newcomer Palm (Nasdaq: PALM) to descend on its customer
base, TI has wisely introduced free apps and curriculum for history
and social studies teachers.
Last spring, TI introduced a wireless hub so teachers could download
homework assignments, grade quizzes and manage student records on the
units we might call the "original" handheld computers."
"Education and Technology: The Future of Handheld Learning" By Diane
Stresing" www.TechNewsWorld.com (October 22, 2003)
http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/31911.html
A list of current and important historical TI graphing calculator
models can be found at "Calculators" TICalc.org
http://www.ticalc.org/basics/calculators/
"Even the companies taking aim at TI acknowledge that it won't be easy
to knock off the Texas giant, which has sold more than 20 million
graphing calculators since 1990. The company works with textbook
publishers and teachers to promote its calculators.
It has cultivated math teachers for more than a decade, involving them
in design decisions, offering training and helping fund their
organizations."
"TI meets handheld challenge with new breed of calculator"
SiliconValley.com (June 12, 2002)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3453135.htm
The links I have provided are full of details you may find
interesting, and I encourage you to read all of them if you require
further information.
Sincerely,
Wonko |
