Displaying items by tag: HP

Saturday, 03 September 2011 23:32

HP to split WebOS Business Unit

HP-TouchPad-TabletNot all that long ago we talked about HP’s decision to pretty much kill off its WebOS platform and with it the HP TouchPad. Right after those announcements we saw the HP TouchPad prices drop down to $100 in some cases. There was a rush on them and people ran out to get them. Well now, thanks to precentral.net we are finding out a little more about what HP has in mind. It seems that the WebOS development team is heading to the Office of Strategic Technology while the hardware side gets left with the Personal Systems Group.

Of course these items lead to interesting questions. With WebOS going to the Strategic Technology Office will it end up being licensed out as a product on its own? Will we see the new owners of the TouchPad hardware (and the rest of the Personal Systems Group) buy this software from HP’s core business?

We do have some insight into the whys of this event, but the final outcome of everything is not clear. HP needed to do this to help prevent some liabilities that come from selling both hardware and software (that they own and license). But, what on earth does HP plan to do once this is all over? We know they do not have the moxie to go head to head with IBM (which appears to be who they are modeling themselves after) so why the shift and the drop of the consumer side of their company?

We will continue to see if we can find out some more solid answers than what is available at the moment. If you want to read the documents that appear to say this is going happen click the source link below.

Source precentral.net

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Tuesday, 23 August 2011 11:21

Former WebOS Developers move to Windows Phone 7

windows-phone-7It looks like the Death of the WebOS might be a big benefit to Microsoft and their Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. After HP announced that they were killing this part of their business model off (along with their most of their Consumer Product division) many developers that were working on WebOS projects had nowhere to turn to and were probably a tad annoyed that they had invested in this technology and now were being left out in the cold.

Microsoft was right there though letting former WebOS developers know that if they were interested all they had to do was contact Microsoft and they would provide them with all of the Tools needed (Development Kits, Phones, and even training) to get things going under the Windows Phone banner. This was a smart move as, if the reports are to be believed, Microsoft is claiming that over 500 developers have contacted them.

We think that these rumors are more than likely true as many of these developers will want to offset their losses with some free help even if it is from Microsoft.

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Thursday, 18 August 2011 20:58

HP Ditches WebOS and Spins off PC Business

HP_TouchPadLess than a year ago HP bought Palm for their WebOS and Mobile business. At the time HP made the claim that they were going to move forward with Palm and maintain the mobile side of things. Now they want to shut down the WebOS business and (if the announcement is to be believed) either spin off or close down their PC business. Reading the announcement from HP it sounds like they are cutting some dead weight and cleaning up after some disappointing losses. However, if you dig a little deeper you will find that HP is looking to make a business shift. It is no secret that the consumer market (at least the PC and software market) is something of a loss-leader. This means that you expect to lose a little money on your PC systems while making it back in service, and support costs. The problem is that companies like HP are losing their support money to people like Best Buy, Staples, and others who now have their own service departments that they make money off of.

This leaves companies like HP (who bought up Compaq thinking that would help sales) out of touch and losing more money than they should on their PCs. So what do you do when this happens? Well you take a leaf from IBM’s book. You sell off your PC business and shift back to the Enterprise. Here you can sell a support contract for $3-4,000 per unit (and more in some cases). Corporations that purchase servers and server accessories demand these and pay for them willingly. So HPs announcements today are nothing more than a way of saying to the community at large “Hey, wanna buy our PC and Mobile divisions? We do not want them anymore”. I would not be surprised to hear about offers for both departments soon.

Now the question is; can HP really compete with IBM and Dell? If a recent shift in enterprise purchases is any indication HP is in for a rough year.

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