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I believe the comparison HP would prefer you use is to IBM. Unlike Apple, HP has a whole lot more than consumer PCs. Between its servers and EDS, it's arguably

by ansy 15y ago

I believe the comparison HP would prefer you use is to IBM. Unlike Apple, HP has a whole lot more than consumer PCs. Between its servers and EDS, it's arguably much more like IBM. IBM was synonymous with the PC especially in business and government and especially with Thinkpad laptops. Hell, other PCs were always called "IBM Compatible" because an the modern PC was really just a compatible copy of IBM's version of the personal computer. But IBM wasn't executing well and failing to keep up with the Dells of the world on the consumer side of things. So IBM spun off its consumer products like its PC division (to Lenovo), its peripherals like keyboards and mice (to Unicomp), and its printers (as Lexmark). Then it doubled down on big iron, midrange servers, and made a huge play on software and consulting services. In the end, IBM survives, is profitable, and nobody thinks it's going away any time soon. What remains of HP has long been growing into a copy of the modern IBM with a huge, low margin PC business hanging off it that grows only by cannibalizing the market share of other low margin PC manufacturers exiting the market entirely. To think that the remaining half of the company wouldn't survive after spinning off the PC business is just silly.

raganwald 15y ago
I know for a fact that HP would prefer us to think of IBM, and I will not fall into the trap of thinking it is like IBM or Apple but not both. The way in which HP is like Apple is that its mobile business has a proprietary OS with good reviews but poor market. This does not apply to their desktop business, which resembles IBMs in that they wound up being a tax collector for Microsoft.
- ansy 15y ago
  I see the similarity, although webOS is nowhere near the heart and soul of HP that Mac OS is to Apple. Should HP's management be fighting a two front war against IBM and Apple? Maybe not. Apple dumped Xserve, has nearly dumped the Mac Pro, and pretty much ignores enterprise users entirely despite being on a stratospheric trajectory. WebOS probably means as much to HP's bottom line as Xserve did to Apple's and HP is treading water. Consolidating on a consistent corporate vision is the first step to being like Apple. HP's vision is all muddled between being a consumer company and being a business company. Hopefully HP can figure out who it wants to be so it can start doing it well.

by ansy 15y ago

raganwald 15y ago

I know for a fact that HP would prefer us to think of IBM, and I will not fall into the trap of thinking it is like IBM or Apple but not both. The way in which HP is like Apple is that its mobile business has a proprietary OS with good reviews but poor market. This does not apply to their desktop business, which resembles IBMs in that they wound up being a tax collector for Microsoft.

ansy 15y ago
I see the similarity, although webOS is nowhere near the heart and soul of HP that Mac OS is to Apple. Should HP's management be fighting a two front war against IBM and Apple? Maybe not. Apple dumped Xserve, has nearly dumped the Mac Pro, and pretty much ignores enterprise users entirely despite being on a stratospheric trajectory. WebOS probably means as much to HP's bottom line as Xserve did to Apple's and HP is treading water. Consolidating on a consistent corporate vision is the first step to being like Apple. HP's vision is all muddled between being a consumer company and being a business company. Hopefully HP can figure out who it wants to be so it can start doing it well.