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Intel CEO: HP, Dell Ultrabooks coming in 2012

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

HP facing pressure to keep PC unit inside--report

Hewlett-Packard is facing pressure to keep its PC business inside the company according to an Asia-based report.

Growing concern about the fate of HP's PC unit is pushing "channel operators" to switch their orders from HP to brands such as Dell, Acer, and Lenovo, according to a report in Digitimes, citing sources.

The report names Acer as a major beneficiary of the shift.

HP's Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) partners, including Quanta Computer, Inventec, Wistron, and Foxconn Electronics, will "regain...confidence" in HP if it decides not to spin off its PC business, the report … Read more

HP is having an identity crisis

Today's news that Hewlett-Packard may sack its relatively new CEO points to an ongoing identity crisis at the big PC maker.

The fact that the world's No.1 supplier of PCs has been trying to disown that very business and everything that goes with it--like its TouchPad tablet--then simultaneously holding out the possibility that it won't spin off PCs points to some very serious identity problems. CEO Leo Apotheker's potential ouster is the latest symptom, according to analysts.

First, a quick look at recent events that preceded today's news. When HP announced earnings back in … Read more

HP's head of PCs wants quick spin-off, says report

The top executive at Hewlett-Packard's personal computer division is hoping to see a spin-off as soon as possible, according to a report today in The Wall Street Journal.

Todd Bradley, who heads the Personal Systems Group, told the newspaper that he wants to see HP make the spin-off happen "as soon as they can." But he added that it may not happen before the end of the year.

Bradley told the Journal that the absence of a clear plan for the PC business is causing "some uncertainty" among customers.

In related news, HP distributed an … Read more

HP approached LG, Samsung about sale of PC business

Hewlett-Packard approached LG, Samsung and others about the sale of its PC business last year, a source told CNET.

The PC maker sounded out the Korean electronics giants late last year long before its announcement last month, according to a source familiar with the overtures by HP. Last month, HP announced its intention to "evaluate strategic alternatives" for its PC business when it released earnings.

The source said HP approached Korean electronics conglomerates as part of a strategy--at that time--to try to sell the business to large companies that had much broader interests than just PCs. PCs would, … Read more

HP to split up WebOS business, report says

Hewlett-Packard will break up its WebOS business, sending the software component to a different part of the company, according to a report Saturday at PreCentral.net.

The company that was formerly Palm will split, reporting to separate divisions of HP, according to the report. This comes after HP announced during its August 18 earnings call that it was shuttering its WebOS hardware business, which includes its TouchPad tablet and Palm Pre phone.

WebOS, which HP has not terminated, will be pushed over to HP's Office of Strategy and Technology (OS&T) and report to Executive Vice President Shane Robinson, … Read more