>Forwarding this...






>Why doesn't anyone care about HP?
>CNET's The Digital Home blog, 11/19, Don Reisinger
>
>In case you missed it, Hewlett-Packard announced today that it will be 
>bringing a MultiTouch notebook to consumers in the form of the TouchSmart 
>tx2. The device will feature a swivel, LED-backlit display, Windows Vista, 
>and full touch capabilities on the screen.
>
>That's quite the development. Sure, HP already had some touch-screen 
>devices in the desktop market and other companies are trying desperately 
>to make some headway in that space, but why has no one made such a big 
>deal about the device?
>
>I know what you're thinking: why should we make a big fuss about a device 
>that has evolutionary capabilities and hasn't been put through the paces? 
>We need to wait and see.
>
>Sorry, I just don't buy that.
>
>When Apple announced new MacBook Pros last month featuring its own 
>MultiTouch capabilities in the trackpad, the world rejoiced. Consumers 
>were already saying how they couldn't wait to pick one (or maybe two) up 
>at the Apple store and every major news outlet was discussing it in minute 
>detail. I turned the nightly news on when it was first announced and it 
>was everywhere.
>
>And yet, as HP ups the ante, we don't hear anything about its latest notebook.
>
>Why doesn't anyone care about HP or Dell or Acer anymore? Is it Windows? 
>Is it that the companies have a reputation for being run-of-the-mill 
>vendors? I can't quite put my finger on it. And although I would agree 
>that Dell and Acer really are run-of-the-mill, I just don't believe that 
>when it comes to HP.
>
>On the Windows side, HP is most like Apple. The company isn't happy 
>producing the same old device and is trying desperately to beat Apple to 
>the living room. And we also can't forget that there's a reason why it's 
>the top PC vendor in the world: it's pushing all the right buttons while 
>Dell, Acer, and the others are trying to figure out how to make price and 
>beauty a key component in their strategies.
>
>But I digress. For every iMac, there's an HP TouchSmart all-in-one. For 
>every MacBook, there's an HP laptop waiting in the wings. For every Apple 
>TV, there's an HP MediaSmart Connect. And for all the beauty Apple 
>provides, HP competes quite well.
>
>And yet, it's as if no one cares.
>
>See, even though HP turned a profit of $2 billion last quarter to Apple's 
>$1 billion and its annual income is almost twice as high as Apple's, HP 
>doesn't get the kind of respect Steve Jobs and Company does. Maybe that's 
>because HP doesn't have a well-known, dynamic CEO or maybe it's because HP 
>doesn't want to be in the limelight. Or maybe it's because HP doesn't 
>engage in flashy keynotes every few months to tell the world about 
>upcoming updates to existing products. Whatever the case is, HP is rarely 
>remembered, but often times chosen when it's time to buy some tech.
>
>Have you ever considered that? If you ask someone what kind of computer 
>they want next, rarely will you hear them say an HP machine even though 
>they end up buying one. And if you ask someone which company is the most 
>successful in tech, I seriously doubt HP will top the list.
>
>Some might say that that's all part of HP's genius, but I doubt it. I 
>think HP would love to hold the limelight like Apple, but it just can't do 
>it. It's easy for some of us to sit here and say that any company can 
>captivate audiences like Apple, but I think that's a total and utter lie. 
>See, Apple's culture is what makes it successful. It's a culture of 
>secrecy and pomp and circumstance unlike anything this industry has seen.
>
>And it works.
>
>But HP is different. HP doesn't hold lavish events and fails to deliver 
>the kind of experience (from a PR standpoint) that Apple does. And 
>although it hasn't hurt its sales, it still stands behind Apple as one of 
>the foremost companies in the industry.
>
>But who cares? HP is enjoying incredible success and the company is 
>showing no signs of slowing down. And although no one makes a fuss about 
>its products like they do with Apple's, we can't fault a strategy that's 
>turning a $2 billion profit each quarter.


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