HP Quality

I'm not sure HP is counting on the business of "Cobble-your-own" PC types to make its revenue goals.

That being said, when was the last time you cobbled your own printer or scanner?

I've had Laserjet IIIs I had to take outside and shoot in order to replace. Likewise, I gave up my 15-year-old HP scanner ONLY when I could no longer fit the ISA SCSI card in any new MOBOs.

Anyway, the downside of selling Consumer stuff is that it dilutes HP's image as an Enterprise-Class player such as IBM, Sun or EMC (when, in fact, HP is trumping both in growth.)

IBM was wise to dump the low-end off on Lenovo and concentrate on software and services where the real margin is. Maybe it's time for HP to spin off the cameras, injkjets and Walmart shelf-candy, and get taken seriously.