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Hewlett Packard reaffirmed its commitment to the computer business yesterday, bringing to a close three months of dramatic upheaval.

Since August, when HP and then-CEO Leo Apotheker outlined a plan to "explore strategic alternatives" for its Personal Systems Group, HP shaved roughly 20 percent off the price of its stock, damaged its supplier relationships, bewildered consumers and analysts, and, ultimately, ousted Apotheker and replaced him with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman.… Read more

After Hewlett-Packard made it official today that it is staying in the PC business, it also went on the record with its entry into the Ultrabook market.

"Ultramobile is a notebook category of sub-17 millimeter notebooks. We're very focused on having a suite in that ultramobile space. And you'll see that very soon," Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's Personal Systems Group, said in a conference call today.

HP (along with Dell) will be one of the last major PC makers to enter the market for these sub-0.8-inch, 3-pounds-and-under laptops that compete with … Read more

Hewlett-Packard's decision to keep its PC business means the world's largest PC maker is here to stay. So, what makes HP so big? To get an idea, here's a quick overview of its marquee PC lines.

HP ships a lot of PCs. More than Apple, more than Dell. It does this by having a broad line of PCs blanketing the business and consumer markets.

EliteBook: This is the high-end of HP's business laptops. Most EliteBooks are designed to meet military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for vibration, dust, humidity, altitude, and high temperature. And are typically clad in aluminum. … Read more

The father of the iPod creates a cool home thermostat, the Obama campaign joins Tumblr, and Netflix reports its first drop in customers in nearly two years--and it's a doozy.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Hewlett-Packard and Dell will enter the Ultrabook market next year, Intel's CEO told Fox Business today. He also said he was "stunned" by former HP CEO Leo Apotheker's announcement that the company was thinking about spinning off its PC business.

Speaking to Liz Claman of Fox Business Network, Paul Otellini said that all major PC companies will eventually have Ultrabooks--the ultrathin Windows laptops that compete with Apple's MacBook Air.

"All the major brands. Going into next year, you'll see new designs come out from Dell and HP," he said. "And then when we introduce Ivy Bridge, our next processor, there's 60 more designs are coming out."

Then, when Windows 8 is released next year, hybrid Ultrabook designs will emerge, he said. "When Windows 8 comes out, you'll see hybrid models that integrate the functions of a notebook and a tablet into a single device," he said. … Read more

Hewlett-Packard is reconsidering its decision to spin off its personal computer business after new analysis indicated the spinoff costs might outweigh the benefits, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The spinoff was announced during an earnings call in August by then-CEO Leo Apotheker as part of an effort to refocus its business around other core competencies. Apotheker used the same call to announce the company would discontinue WebOS devices, including the TouchPad tablet.

"The analysis is under way now," an HP representative told the Journal. "We said we would explore all options and that … Read more

Newly installed Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman is joining a legion of Silicon Valley executives who have agreed to work for a single buck.

Whitman, who took over the helm of the computer maker last week when its board ousted previous CEO Leo Apotheker, will work for a base salary of $1 a year, according to a regulatory filing today. The former eBay CEO will also have the option to purchase 1.9 million shares of HP stock that will vest only when and if the company's stock price increases 120 percent over its current price, according to the Securities … Read more

Dish and Blockbuster announce their Netflix-killing movie delivery and streaming plan, but it's kind of a letdown unless you're a really happy Dish subscriber. HP puts Meg Whitman in charge and boots Leo Apotheker, which no one seems all that happy about except maybe HP's wildly dysfunctional board. The entire foundation of the world and physics is rocked by the possibility of particles that can travel faster than light, but mostly, you just wish we could go back in time and un-announce that the show's going weekly. Hey, but bonus show Monday! See you then!

Meg Whitman's first day as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard brought a bevy of questions about whether she's the right pick to turn around the company.

Here's a sampling of analyst reaction following Whitman's debut following the ouster of Leo Apotheker. Ray Lane also became executive chairman at HP.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore:

Despite Whitman's many accomplishments, it is not obvious she brings the deep operational acumen (supply chain, logistics, hardware / technical background, etc.) necessary to avoid the missteps of her predecessor - particularly in this environment. In addition, we believe the risk of management … Read more