I've been a civil/structural engineer for 20 years now. My HP 48GX has recently done its last calculation. So I looked for a replacement and it seems that the market for scientific/graphing calculators has changed.
My question: Could it be that smartphones are replacing calculators in the engineering world and all one needs to do is buy an "graphing calculator" app?
(I am not referring to the open sourced HP48 app)
When I'm at my desk I have a desktop computer connected to the internet in front of me and a smartphone with a scientific calculator app installed in my pocket.
If I need to do some quick calculations I will still reach for my old calculator that I've had for around 24 years now (it still has the sticker on the back saying it's OK to use in university exams).
I find the physical keys quicker and less error prone to use and it just feels more natural. And while the actual processing speed is a tiny fraction of the other devices I have available it's good enough for the job and the battery life is far better (So far it's averaging 1 AAA every 10 years.)
If it died I'd certainly look for a replacement but I suspect the market is significantly smaller these days, if I didn't use it regularly I'd probably make do with the smart phone app myself.
IMHO an app such as wolfram alpha can easily replace a calculator. Some additional advantages:
Some reasons to stay using a calculator:
A calculator, today, is more about giving school exams a sandbox than about calculating. Any general purpose computer can do the same with fewer resrictions, including your phone. When you are sitting on your desktop you should be using the desktop.
While its true that a calculator can have a better tactile user interface than your phone. Its still a marginal benefit when your phone can integrate into all your systems better more easily. You can even find, FEM, statics and other specialized apps. Even when you can not, you can network with your phone and use matlab, mathematica, ansys, abaqus... that is on your work computer.
This means you can save calculations for reuse, for documentation nicely typeset etc. You use less time switching between systems for less transfer of errors.
So the answer to the question is: No. There is only a marginal use for a calculator, many reach for a calculator out of habit more than benefit.
The market has definitely changed: HP only has 8 calculators on their web site, and the hp50g (the last descendant of the hp48 series - or of the hp28 series if you look even farther back) was discontinued in 2015.
all one needs to do is buy an "graphing calculator" app?
I have and use an hp48 emulator on my phone, but it's not the same as a real 48, so I have two of them kicking around at all times - one mostly at the office, one at home. I have an hp48sx that I bought in college, so it's more than 20 years old, and a 48G I bought off of craigslist about 5 years ago.
Even on a smartphone with a large screen, the interface on a real hp48 is better - the positive feel to button presses and the lack of swiping issues are the two things I find the most beneficial about the real calculator. Just turning it on is easier on the calculator - push the on button, no unlocking, swiping to the right screen, etc.
Even for a simple 4-function calculator, I'd rather use an old hp than a phone. I have a bunch of old calculators and at different times I've used an hp34c or an hp12c - even with LEDs, they last a long time on a set of AAs. (I'd fire up my 28S or 41CV except that N cell batteries are a pain.)
