Casio sells its one billionth calculator
Just as broadcast radio was turning one hundred, Casio was selling its one billionth calculator, as the company reportedly announced that this past December held the milestone purchase. The firm's first electronic calculator, dubbed the 001, hit the market in 1965, and played a big part in the development of the chip industry by generating demand for LSI chips. The pocket-sized renditions the company is so well known for started in 1972 with the Casio Mini, only to be followed by the graphing scientific version in 1985. These monochrome graphing editions will always hold a special spot in our hearts, as there was just nothing like kicking back during class and crushing your previous Tetris record while the instructor gave you kudos for focusing so intently on your work, and of course, that wasn't the only game to ever get ported to the small screen. So here's to Casio for hitting the big 1 billion, but we've got to admit, it looks like TI is the current champ in terms of universal acceptability, but we can't argue too much with a figure like that.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AKBlade13 @ Jan 9th 2007 7:09PM
Congrats Casio. Let's see if you can take it up to 2 bill now.
AKBlade13
I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jan 10th 2007 1:59AM
I know that when you press down on the keys, it takes a second to calculate and for the display to render your results. You could actualy see the numbers changing on the screen as it was calculating!
My mother had purchased on of those back in the 1960's when she was studing to become an accountant. She told me once that it cost her several hundred dollars (1960's dollars) to purchase (I dont remember the exact amount). Consider that you could have gotten a new car for $2000-3000 and a new 1965 Ford Mustang cost $3334!
JL @ Jan 10th 2007 2:27PM
"By pressing down a special key, it plays a little melody"
hehe
Congrats casio - Yeah, I had a TI first, but after that, been a diehard
Casio user.. (Sniff Sniff, we don't get Casio's cellphones and other goodies
here in the USA tho)
Michael @ Jan 11th 2007 11:36AM
In the UK casio pretty much dominates the calculator industry. I really like casios, especially the 991-ES which is the one I currently have.
Max Rubin @ Jan 17th 2007 7:04PM
What was amazing and humourus was that the first casio calculators flashed away their work openly as they processed the numbers.
www.vintagecomputermanuals.com
Manitoba @ Jun 26th 2007 11:43PM
It was amazing how much the first T.I texas insturments calcualtors cost.
Their red lights ( late 70's) like the led watches.
The batteries did not last long at all.
There was a lot of resistance at Universities to the calculators.
But all in all the adoption came especially when people realized that calculators might be more than a useful tool not only for university but in every day use - balancing your check book and figuring out a mortgage for your home or cottage.
www.sellyourmanitobacottage.com
Bugle @ Mar 2nd 2008 8:01PM
Almost as many units moved as the AK47...