HP Takes Business PCs in a New Direction

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At its Discover conference, HP showed off new hardware for business and enterprise customers. The company believes the upcoming end of life for Microsoft Windows XP could boost the lackluster sales of PCs.

CRN’s Steven Burke reported, “Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) Monday kicked off its Discover conference with the release of new All In One commercial PCs aimed at capturing Lenovo in the fast-growing market. With the AIO commercial market growing at a 20 percent year-over- year clip, HP launched a sleek, new HP EliteOne 800 G1 with a 23 percent thinner design priced starting at $899. A Windows 8-based EliteOne 800 G1 featuring edge-to-edge glass touch capability is priced starting at $1,299.”

Robert Dutt with Channelnomics observed, “The latest member of the old guard of the PC world to shift in the face of consumerization and BYOD, HP said Monday that the new major design goal for its PC business is ‘to be desirable and cool.'” Dutt quoted HP’s Enrique Lores, who said, “Until now, our major goal was to be approved by the IT department, but this is not the route to success in the new world. We want users to request – to demand – HP products because they are cool, because they look good.”

Computerworld’s Patrick Thibodeau noted, “Hewlett-Packard executives say that the coming demise of Windows XP may do what Windows 8 could not, and that’s boost PC sales significantly…. Lore was asked, in a later interview, whether the demand for XP replacement systems could help sales more than Windows 8. His response was unequivocal: ‘Yes, significantly more, especially on the commercial side,’ he said.”

At the same event, HP also rolled out new servers. Jeffrey Burt with eWeek added, “Hewlett-Packard is rolling out new and enhanced servers aimed at smaller businesses, including the latest model in its line of ProLiant MicroServers. HP officials unveiled the new systems June 11, saying they are simpler to deploy and manage and easier to afford, which is important to small businesses that don’t have the IT budget or staff of their larger counterparts.”