Is HP Trying To Be The New Apple?
from the who-isn't? dept
I didn't post anything yesterday about HP's "big bang" of product releases - where they simultaneously launched 158 new consumer electronics offerings, because it didn't seem all that interesting. A few innovative offerings mixed in with a ton of nothing special. However, this Fortune column suggests that HP is trying to become the Apple of the PC world. Of course, both Gateway and Sony have also been trying to become the Apple of the PC world and are finding it isn't that easy. At first, it argues that HP is reaching for Bill Gates' dream of a world centered around a Windows-running PC. However, he points out that, in order to make things user friendly, HP is going to have to move away from industry standards to support more innovative uses. No matter what, between Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, Gateway and others, it's becoming increasingly clear that the "computer business" is no longer the "computer business". As everything starts to connect, it's expanding the business into new areas. What's still unclear, is what strategy is going to win in a world where everything is connected. Considering that Apple has made a big splash with their offerings, but still only commands a small percentage of the market, I'm not even sure Apple is the "Apple" of the market - since everyone seems to keep using it to mean this sort of perfectly balanced company offering a combination of computing and consumer electronics in the perfect package. That's a goal no company has come close to yet.
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Pre-sliced apples
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x86
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Re: Pre-sliced apples
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No Apple
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No Subject Given
They all use the same operating system/interface to drive there products and therefore to the end users there is very little difference between SONY/HP/GATEWAY/DELL other than the price of the product.
When one of these companies has the 'nads to develop their own OS (or layer their interface of an existing OS (think Linux)) they're all basically offering the same product, difference price point.
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Re: No Subject Given
Sure it's easy to develop your own OS or layer your own interface over an existing one when you control 100% of the hardware and software *cough*cough*, but seeing as how Microsoft is having enough problems even holding on to the software aspect I don't see any manufacturers doing that anytime soon.
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No Subject Given
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