Omnimaga
Calculator Community => Other Calculators => Topic started by: Camdenmil on August 19, 2011, 11:45:14 pm
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I'm working on a z80 computer that will end up having specs similar to the 84. I'm using an avr for io(instead of tons of logic ics), 128k sram, 128x64 lcd (can't find a cheap 320x240 one) and all that costs about $35. That is for 11 ics. I can save $.15 if I used 64k sram. I couldn't find 1 or 2mb flash chips to compare the difference between those (It's far less than TI's $30). Is it costs $35 to make a z80 computer with discreet components, how much do you think it costs make that tiny asic. The savings are probably much less than $.15 to remove 80k from from the asic die. The $30 difference between the 84 BE and SE is 1mb flash, $30 is the difference between 1 and 32gb with flash memory every where else. How much do you think it costs TI to make an 84. I'd guess $5-$15 with the lcd being the most expensive.
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1. Use out-dated, royalty-free hardware
2. Never drop your selling price, regardless of how much your manufacturing costs drop
3. ? ? ? ?
4. PROFIT
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It probably costs TI much less than $5 to make an 84+ with their infrastructure.
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Even something like the nspire probably costs less than $30 to manufacture. There are other costs though besides manufacturing. TI still needs to pay its large staff, ship their products, and pay for all their marketing. Don't forget that TI doesn't generally sell calculators directly. They sell them at a discounted price to stores which are then free to markup the price however they feel but normally stay around the MSRP. Taking all this into account their profit per calc may actually be far lower than many would expect.
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yeah, we all know TI is ripping us off. Just take a good long look at the nintendo handhelds. They cost around the same after a few months, still new, and their hardware is much better than the 84+
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The $30 difference between the 84 BE and SE is 1mb flash
Actually where I live, at walmart, the 84+BE costs like $88 and the 84+SE costs $95. That's only $7. What I think that means is that Ti isn't actually ripping off stores, I think the stores are ripping us off, well, for the flash chip anyways.
(walmart.com doesn't even list the 84+BE :P)