The TI-84 plus was getting passed up by rival calculators from Casio and HP before this update. This is a big update and one that was sorely needed. It also allowed users to scroll up to previous calculations to edit them and enabled a series of “pop up” windows accessible via the F1-F4 keys. A lot of new templates that make advanced algebra and calculus a lot easier were added too like non-base 10 logs, summations, integrals, etc. In the spring of 2010, Texas Instruments came out with 2.53 MP, an operating system that finally gave the TI-84 “mathprint.” This means that fractions look like fractions, exponents look like exponents, and far more. It’s accepted on almost every standardized test, including the ACT, which won’t accept calculators with computer algebra systems like the TI-89 Titanium or TI-Nspire CX CAS. Additionally, many, many college students use a TI-84 as their calculator of choice. No doubt, the TI-84 plus is designed with the high school student in mind. There’s no doubt that part of the reason that schools were initially slow to the adopt the Nspire is because the TI-84 has just been so wildly popular and schools have invested in TI-84 software, teacher training, and classroom sets of the calculators. I can’t really understate the stranglehold this line of calculators has had on the math education community. Although it’s no longer TI’s cutting edge calculator–that label goes to the TI-Nspire CX (review)–it’s still a strong calculator. I’ve had a ton of experience working with students on the TI-84 Plus, from the classroom to math team to ACT test prep. That means it’s time to re-examine the TI-84 Plus from a 2016 perspective and see how it holds up. However, the black and white version of the TI-84 Plus remains hugely popular, and is often the top selling graphing calculator on Amazon Most importantly, TI released a major new upgrade to the TI-84 Plus family, the TI-84 Plus CE, a full color display edition of the calculator designed to bring the TI-84 Plus into the next decade.
Things have changed quite a bit during that time for Texas Instruments calculators in general and for the TI-84 Plus platform in specific.
Long ago and far away (in the year 2010), I did a review of the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition graphing calculator.