When I was a sophomore in high school, I was told by my algebra teacher that each of us would learn to use TI-83 Plus in class to graph linear and nonlinear functions. At the time, in 2001, the TI-83 plus had just gone through a minor facelift and was the standard calculator for use in American classrooms:

The 2001 redesign (nicknamed the TI-83 “Parcus”) introduced a slightly different shape to the calculator itself, eliminated the glossy grey screen border, and reduced cost by streamlining the printed circuit board to four units

The calculator was also renowned (in my high school at least) for its ability to load programmed games, functions that helped you cheat, and other wonders of the pre-web 2.0 world.

The calculator was truly amazing.

Before the advent of touch-screen cell phones and an integrated mobile web, students had these totally awesome calculators that could do so much sh*t. Previously, on crappier calculators, some of the really smart kids could write a series of numbers, that, when flipped, became words or even phrases. Being a relatively simple, nice kid, I mostly liked 07734:

Some of the bad kids dropped the “0" to create a naughty word. Others went a step further:

In essence, calculators before the TI-83 Plus couldn’t do much besides make a few of the smart (bad) kids laugh.

The TI-83 was also expensive. Although the schools provided them for use in class, we often couldn’t take them home because my poorly-funded school couldn’t risking shelling out a few hundred bucks if some went missing.

I think my mom ended up buying my TI-83 Plus for around $95. That was a lot of money. Still is a lot of money.

The other day, I was in Target to get my wife a car charger for her phone. I happened upon the calculator section in electronics (no particular reason — possibly I’m just a nerd?) and saw my beloved TI-83 Plus calculator in all its glory.

At first, I thought: “AWESOME. I love those things. Very cool. Very very cool.” Then it was: “Wait, they still have these? WTF?” Honestly, it felt like I was walking into Target and seeing this:

No one would buy those. And no one would buy them in 2014 for $100.

But guess what? The calculator that my mom bought 13 years ago still costs $95.

Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel, described the trend that “the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years.” It has been further broken down essentially to mean that computing power is getting cheaper, faster, and smaller at an exponential rate. It’s not perfect (and some say collapsing), but it’s been a pretty practical way to look at computer advancement over the last 50 years.

So, why does the TI-83 Plus break the mold of a tried-and-true (though not perfect) theory? Why does it stay exactly the same in every way for 15 years when everything else is advancing, becoming cheaper, faster, and better? How is it that high schoolers are still paying $95 for this artifact of a different era?

First, let’s see if it meets my criteria for being antiquated: high overall cost, low processing power, and an inferior, outdated design.

Cost: $95 in 2001. $95 in 2014. Quick estimation shows this calculator should cost roughly $15 today with the same power. Check.

Power: The TI-83 Plus boasts “185 kb user available memory.” That’s, lets see, .0001 GB. The majority of modern cell phones have at least 8 GB (or 8.389e+6 kb). Takes 4 AA batteries with no ability to charge. Check.

Design: 96 x 64 pixels, monochrome, 6.4oz. iPhone has 1136 x 640 pixels, retina, 3.2oz. A heavy eyesore in a bulky black case. Check.

So, let’s ask: Why is this possible? Why haven’t we moved on from using an antiquated, expensive electronic device that ISN’T USABLE in most of life? Why don’t we create systems to teach kids in school using what they already have: cell phones with massive processing power? Why can’t we teach using what’s available, instead of fighting against it? Why are we still making kids buy a crappy, ancient, $95 calculator?

When are we going to move on?