Click pic to visit the HP Computer Museum
What with low-margins and declining sales in the move to mobile devices where Apple is eating everyone’s lunch, there will probably be more of this to come.
Bloomberg reports that multiple sources are indicating that HP will spin off its PC business to focus on enterprise services. As part of that change in focus, it will be acquiring the Cambridge, UK-based data analysis company Autonomy for about $10 billion, a healthy premium over the company’s current market cap.
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Although HP’s shift toward a service and consulting focus has been going on for years (we joked that it already looked a bit like IBM West a year ago), the decision to spin off its PC business is a bit of a surprise. After a rocky merger with Compaq, HP had grown to dominate global PC sales, and its purchase of Palm and WebOS had indicated it was at least trying to pursue options that could help keep it relevant as sales of compact touchscreen devices soared.Nevertheless, the margins of the PC business have remained very narrow, and most of HP’s competition is either suffering or attempting to go upmarket (Dell being the primary example of the latter).
They think they’re smart.
September 3, 2001 – HP announces Compaq merger.
10 years +/- 10 days
HP-UX unix and their HP9000 server work great.
I never understood why they bought Compaq and got into that market.
I think they will do well and we’ll see some great products in the future.
Of course there is always the Solaris vs. HP-UX debate…
I think the following is a good discussion of the differences:
“http://www.loudermilk.org/software/solaris-hpux.html”
Looks like a good buy for ACER. Lots of shelf space to sell their wares.
And to think that I use a couple computer shown in that pict.
#11 I still have my 48G from college & still works.
#17 Indeed. Two factors to differentiate from your assertion:
- HP has turned into crap a long tie ago. I said I would never touch an HP laptop or printer with a 10′ pole. I was very shocked that they bought compaq since it had turned into shit before HP bought it.
- Now one really cares about good product quality anymore. People nowadays are quick to pay a premium for flashiness & for being taken by the hand.
$100M charge for HP to credit back resellers of the fabulous TouchPad:
http://tinyurl.com/3dkuxbg
HP trying to copy IBM – out of hardware, into services. But HP doesn’t seem to have the client list that IBM had when it shifted to services ….
Also seems the Clueless MBA’s trying and failing to run a tech company !!! And more of America’s tech infrastructure evaporates !!!
#25 pedro
Indeed: the 48 series calc is the best ever made.
#27 Right on the money.
Yup. This whole mobility, internet, and entertainment thing is nothing. Enterprise servers are the real action. Oracle 11gR2 might be coming out soon – it just doesn’t get any sexier than that.
I like WebOS. I hope someone good grabs it.
There are rumours all over the place that you’ll see HP TouchPads at Amazon, Target and HP’s site for $99 starting Saturday. If you find one at HP’s site use the coupon code “save15hp” to get an additional $15 off.
Here ya go: http://goo.gl/G8aF7
Sorry about that, this is the right link: http://goo.gl/cK59e
I called all of the Best Buys and Walmarts in my area. The HP WebOS Tablet is sold out. Too bad they didn’t start out by pricing them at $99 to begin with. They would have had a hot selling product and loosing money on every unit they sold is nothing new for HP! I have been a loyal HP calculator customer for over 35 years but they sure make a lot of stupid decisions lately. Buying palm for 1.2 billion dollars, developing a Tablet computer and then throwing up their hands and giving up after two months of sales????? What a bunch of effing idiots that are running HP. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard must be rolling over in their graves.
Carly Fiorina is a douchbagett.
Everyone who had some insight into the business saw that buying Compaq was a mistake.
Compaq was a clone maker that had innovative packaging. Its legitimate business (engineering) came from Digital Equipment Corporation. DEC seemed to be very technical, but slightly weak in sales, and was eventually crushed by IBM.
Compaq wanted to sell crappy (cheap, low margin) PCs, but also grow into a legitimate business computer products company. Putting lipstick on a pig.
When DEC’s declining business started to sink Compaq, HP, which had a broad product line that included engineering products, consumer products, and business computer products, meger with Compaq.
From the beginning, this merger seemed like a play by Carly Fiorina to increase her power and personal wealth. Highly unethical if true. Her appearant desire for wealth and power drove her to make business decisions that seemed contrary to stockholders’ interests and customer satisfaction.
I don’t know if HP would be better of without having taken on sinking Compaq, but their core businesses may have received better attention, and been able to focus on innovation and productivity.
I am not a fan of PA-RISC, and have believed in the commodity x86 product’s eventual performance supremacy for at least a decade, if not two.
Since HP owns both Tandem and Compaq they should merge those two and create a new line. They could call it Condem or Tampaq.
#35 Fiorina is not there anymore. See who’s the CEO now and you’ll understand instantly.
Apotheker seems like a smart businessman who knows nothing about the technical process of creating the products on which he has pinned his shareholders’ company future.
They are doomed?
#38 Yes, they are.
Funny, the guy’s name translation is Pharmacist.
Herr Apotheker und Frau Apothekerin.