Hewlett-Packard shook the computer world last week with their announcement to focus more on software–possibly dropping their hardware business, in talks to acquire the software company Autonomous and discontinuing their webOS. If you think they’re done turning your world upside down, be ready for another shake up.
The Price Is Right
Last Saturday, they lowered the price of their HP TouchPad. The 16GB tablet now only costs $99 while the 32GB costs $149. The marked down tablets are available at Best Buy, Office Depot, Sears, Staples, and Walmart; though some retailers are still offering them at regular price but are expected to follow suit in the following weeks for the second wave of the TouchPad markdown. The marked down tablets flew off shelves, which greatly increased the sales of the TouchPad as it was previously not a popular choice for tablet buyers. But the sale is perceived as an act done to sell existing stocks just to get it off the market. The webOS wasn’t a hit with users as well and is the reason why HP chose to discontinue production of devices that run on them.
According to HP CEO Leo Apotheker in an interview with USA Today, “Our WebOS devices have not gained enough traction in the marketplace with consumers. We’re looking at all business models, from licensing to any other possibility for webOS.”
Desktops Are Way Better Than Tablets
After concerning the industry of their possible drop-out in computer production, HP announced today a new line of desktops, HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One Business Desktop. The desktop features Intel second-generation Core vPro technology to deliver up to 40 percent better performance, 15 percent faster hard drive access, reduced downtime via remote IT management, an expansive 23-inch diagonal full high-definition LED monitor, an integrated webcam, microphone and speakers for streamlined remote face-to-face communication, SRS Premium Sound to deliver a refined audio experience, comes with a one-year HP Virtual Rooms license.
“Another industry first in our Elite desktop family demonstrates our commitment to engineering excellence and underscores our global leadership in secure, enterprise computing,” said Jeff Groudan, director, Commercial Desktop Marketing, HP. “The HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One delivers outstanding hardware and software innovation to move the needle in the all-in-one category.”
The Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One Business Desktop supports the latest Intel processors and Intel Q67 Express chipset to intelligently maximize computing performance. It also utilizes Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology to improve integrated graphics multitasking. It also features advanced security tools which includes HP ProtectTools, HP DriveLock, HP Digitalpass and HP Face Recognition. And it is also ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Silver registered and offers an 89 percent efficient power supply. The desktop is now available in the US starting at $999.
Health is Wealth
HP’s subsidiary NHIC, Corp. Medicare Services has been awarded a five-year renewal contract worth $72.3 million by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to continue servicing Durable Medical Equipment or DME suppliers in 11 northeastern U.S. states and the District of Columbia to provide services such as claims processing, medical review, medical policy, appeals processing and customer service through March 2016
Dennis Stolkey, senior vice president of U.S. Public Sector, HP Enterprise Services said, “As the Medicare population grows, CMS continues to modernize to manage and deliver transformative technology that will improve Medicare services for beneficiaries and healthcare providers alike. HP, through its subsidiary NHIC Corp., will continue to assist CMS by increasing productivity of claims processing, improving customer satisfaction and providing more efficient administration of DME benefits to the Northeast region.”
It looks like HP is not done shaking things up and will continue to do so in the coming days as we await the outcome of the Autonomous deal, the impact of their tablet sales, how their new desktop will be welcomed and of course, what they plan to do with the webOS.
[...] HP today discovered what happens when you make an affordable tablet: you sell [...]
[...] its bland Q3 revenue results during last week’s earnings call. The company announced new pricing for the HP TouchPad, a move that’s revived shares a bit, as well as their plans on releasing their own smartphone [...]
[...] it shows no sign of slowing down. Its stock is up 97 cents, or 4.1 percent to $24.57, and had several updates last week. The company introduced the HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One Business Desktop, and won a $72.3 [...]
[...] Tweet Last week’s series of drastic announcements caused HP’s shares to plummet but their TouchPad sale over the weekend allowed their stocks to bounce back by 3.6% at $24.45. But this slight increase [...]
[...] the upside: After the enormous success of their first tablet fire sale, where the HP TouchPads literally flew off shelves as consumers clamored to get their hands on the [...]
[...] the upside: After the enormous success of their first tablet fire sale, where the HP TouchPads literally flew off shelves as consumers clamored to get their hands on the [...]
[...] TouchPad flew off the shelves due to their $99 sale, they decided to release another $99 batch and launched an all-in-one [...]
[...] HP Continues to Shock and Awe: $99 TouchPad, New Compaq Desktop and New Health Care Contract [...]
[...] Touch Pad is not included in this article as the $99 price was exclusive to the fire sale). The Kindle Fire is priced at $199 while the Nook Tablet is priced at $249. Though some argue [...]