Ultimately, HP, You’ve Got To Do Something

John Kirk / September 14th, 2012

“We have to ultimately offer a smartphone…” ~ Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman

When exactly is this “ultimately” going to be?

“My mantra to the team is: ‘Better right than faster than we should be there.’” ~ Meg Whitman

What? Say what?

(W)e’re working to make sure that when we do this, it will be the right thing for Hewlett-Packard, and we will be successful. ~ Meg Whitman

Are you also planning on jumping in on the hot new “horseless carriage” business? Or investing in the Pony Express? In case you haven’t noticed, the smartphone market isn’t waiting around for you to “ultimately offer a smartphone.”

There’s a time and place for things and this is no time to be telling us that you’re “ultimately” going to be making a phone.

Stop telling us that you’re going to do something. Do something.

John Kirk

John R. Kirk is a recovering attorney. He has also worked as a financial advisor and a business coach. His love affair with computing started with his purchase of the original Mac in 1985. His primary interest is the field of personal computing (which includes phones, tablets, notebooks and desktops) and his primary focus is on long-term business strategies: What makes a company unique; How do those unique qualities aid or inhibit the success of the company; and why don’t (or can’t) other companies adopt the successful attributes of their competitors?

See all articles by John Kirk @techpinions

Rich

That’s great John, except that a few years ago somebody put something nasty in the water at that company…
steve_wildstrom

The problem is that the folks behind the purchase of Palm really did have a strategic plan. BUt Hurd was fired and Apoteker undercut and then killed the plan. That was HP’s last, best chance to do something distinctive in the phone/tablet market. Now all they can do is offer a me-too WP8 or Android product and it will be just like the earlier failed Windows Mobile effort.
- FalKirk
  
  Agreed. But can’t they see that? Jumping into the phone market at this late date with just another Android or WP8 device isn’t a plan, it’s an impending train wreck.
  - Nigel Dessau
    
    Agreed. Cycle missed – keep focused on Tablets.
  - steve_wildstrom
    
    One goal of HP is the ability to offer a complete HP-branded, HP-supported, and HP-integrated solution to enterprise customers. That is probably the main reason they need a phone (that was certainly the intention with their earlier Windows Mobile solution.) I expect they will go with a Windows Phone solution.
    
    In tablets, HP is currently focused on Windows 8 (x86, not RT). I think they are seeing very little enterprise interest in Win RT.
Hrunga Zmuda

California dodged a bullet with this CEO. She ruined eBay. Now she’s ruining HP.
- Brian Kane
  
  How did she ruin Ebay? Ebay is doing fantastic. Mostly because of Paypal – but still – fantastic.

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