back to article HP to 'spinoff PC biz'

Hewlett-Packard is planning to spinoff its PC business, according to Bloomberg. An HP corporate spokesman declined to comment on the Bloomberg report, and neither would he reveal to us whether the news might be announced during the company's third-quarter earnings call, to be webcast at the close of US markets on Thursday. …

COMMENTS

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  1. ed 22
    FAIL

    Un-Fioniazed?

    So HP has finally undone all the injuries of the past 10 years? Oy DEC I still miss the Alpha's. Fail - M&A is just money for lawyers and bankers.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Doh!

    After systematically destroying the most profitable bits of the companies they have taken over since they did the job on Compaq suddenly they are doing an about turn.

    Doh!

    Whare's the brick wall to bang my head against? The ghost of Carly is on the move again.

    Yeah I was a long term HP'er. Things went downhill ever since they took over Compaq. My small team made 50x our costs in profit (and increasing) but we were axed and escorted from the building with an hour of being told.

    Now they go and sell their PC biz. Ironically on the same day that Lenovo are crowing over the success of their purchase of the the IBM PC Biz.

    Hmmmm is there a pattern here? Do HP want Lenovo to buy their biz? Ha-ha.

    Dell? don't make me laugh.

    Then there is the doubtful future of Itanic?

    This move seems even more crazy now that I think about it unless they want to sell the Printer biz as well and move into Consultancy. The same sector that they destroyed in Compaq and, well every other company they have taken over.

    anon naturally.

  3. Robert E A Harvey

    WebOs

    That will be the end of WebOs on every PC, then.

    Shame.

    1. Rob Dobs
      Boffin

      quite the opposite I think

      I think this is in part specifically to keep focus on WebOS and other intellectual property to license.

      They would likely keep the printers as they are still pretty high profit margin, and are not tied at the hip to the PC's

      Selling the PC business only actually seems like a good idea for HP who is trying to position itself as a alternative company to Google and Apple and IBM (all companies in the business areas of high profit margins.

      If they intend to shuffle of their phone and Tablet business with the PC unit they could be a vendor neutral OS and IP company with a strong consultancy and server arm.

      The idea here being they would scuttle the low margin portions of their business that can really be done cheaper overseas.

      On that note, the only reason overseas manufacturing, especially of computer electronics, is more profitable is because that is where wages are low, environmental damage is tolerated, and human abuse is legal (and profitable).

      Really the U.S. and EU both should be ashamed of this trend, and we should all feel stupid as well, the elite class are reaping all the profits of this, and it was the promise of a better life for the middle class that got the masses on board to vote for it.

      1. Bad Beaver
        Thumb Up

        Good idea.

        webOS is the only thing I see out there that could motivate Apple to get out of their arse again. They need competition.

        So pick up some Pre 3s folks, show them you want it. Cause nobody buys the bloody touchpad. I will.

        1. Chad H.

          Web OS is going to....

          http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/hp-washing-its-hands-of-webos-discontinues-tablets-pre-phones.ars

          Wonder what HP is actually going to do, you know, to make money...

  4. Robert Moore
    FAIL

    HP Store (Apple store ripoff)

    There is an HP store on the same block as my work. I walk past it several times a day. Big surprise the store is empty every time I walk past it. So it really doesn't surprise me that they are thinking about selling off their computer division.

  5. Bad Beaver
    Facepalm

    Don't believe it

    It's HP, tomorrow someone else will just say "naa, it ain't true" and that will be the end of it. Or not.

    Damn, this company …

  6. Joe User
    Mushroom

    Focus on other products

    Now maybe HP can spend some time figuring out how to make a decent, reliable laser printer again....

    1. a_been
      Paris Hilton

      Laserjet 4

      Mines still going strong, unluck the crap they managed to sell me after that.

      Paris, cos, well she's a big as fuck up as fiona but at least with her the fuck up will be fun

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well

    Not as if their consumer build/support/software quality could actually get any worse right now. Once was a time HP stood for quality products. The DVxxxx lineof laptops, denials and lack of support heralded the end of that.

    Is HP instrumentation still any good?

    1. Goat Jam

      HP Instrumentation

      Spun off a decade ago.

      www.agilent.com

    2. a_been

      HP instrumentation

      didn't they sell HP instrumentation years ago?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Leo's mark!

    With Leo's background, it's not entirely surprising that HP (finally) aims to move in the high-margin Enterprise App space.

    Pity about the sorry state of Itanium and HP-UX really...

  9. PostmanPat
    Happy

    Hmm this could be a good thing

    To be frank, HP's hardware line is the only good thing going for them. Their software and drivers are bloated, slow and poorly coded. If someone else ends up with the hardware line, perhaps they can focus on that and do it well.

    Maybe they can call the spinoff 'Compaq'..

  10. Herby

    Easy come, easy go...

    Let's see now:

    1) Make computer biz "Compaq"

    2) Change ticker symbol back to HWP.

    3) Sell LOTS of ink.

    4) Sell lots of inkjet printers (not really THAT necessary, as they are "loss leaders").

    5) Make investors happy.

    6) See Bill & Dave roll over in graves.

    7) Maybe be bought out by Agilent, who knows.

    8) In the words of the Beatles: "Get back to where you once belonged"

  11. Mage Silver badge

    Printers

    I think HP make ZERO on printers. Maybe a loss. The profit is all on the Ink.

  12. Nick Kew
    Mushroom

    MeToo convergence?

    So a couple of years ago IBM uniquely offers enterprise customers a reasonably comprehensive service from hardware to software to services and consultancy. Then Oracle buys Sun, and there are two.

    Now, two plus MeToo?

    I guess with EDS on board they can take poll position in Hot Air.

  13. zb
    Joke

    Sauce

    maybe they should stick to making HP Sauce

  14. C 2
    FAIL

    HP the slow motion train wreck continues ..

    Used to be a good name, don't really recommend them any more.

    It looks like they've started digging faster.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Amazing

    Lets take our core business and scrap it and move into the software business. Of course we can compete with Microsoft, Oracle, SAP etc... and if it fails we can always go back to our core business, Oh wait...No we can't!

    Kind of link tearing down the house and moving into the street before you build the next house.

    Apple & Dell are happy. the #1 PC Maker just threw in the towel.

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