The hidden monopoly behind your TI graphing calculator
The Verge's 'Version History' podcast explores the long-standing market dominance of Texas Instruments in the graphing calculator industry. The episode examines how the company maintained its monopoly in classrooms for decades.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of education policy, corporate monopoly, and the slow pace of technological change in academic environments.
The same calculator has been on most kids’ back to school shopping list since the early 2000’s and the dominance of Texas Instruments’ calculator division goes back even farther.
In the next episode of Version History, David Pierce is joined by The Verge’s Nilay Patel and Victoria Song to tell the story of TI graphing calculators and how one company managed to take over the market and never let it go.
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