It came as little surprise to veteran Silicon Valley watcherss that HP announced today that it would keep its PC business, flip-flopping on an earlier statement by former CEO Leo Apotheker that the PC giant would either close or spin off the business. When Apotheker was ousted last month and replaced by former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, it was only a matter of time until HP's highly integrated PC business was taken off the block.
The statement today referenced the high level of integration that other HP units have with its PC division, the largest seller of Windows PCs in the world, including an estimated $1.5 billion cost to set up new internal IT, support and sales obligations and as much as $1 billion annually in joint operations in branding and procurement.
The good news for AEC firms is that many won't have to consider a new desktop and laptop hardware vendor. HP's Workstation business ranks either first or second in sales to AEC firms according to ZweigWhite's annual Information Technology Report, depending on which of the last five years you check. The company's number one competitor in the space is Dell and HP exiting the business would have been an oppurtunity, but also a major challenge to meet demand for the Round Rock, Texas-based PC manufacturer. With Whitman at the helm now, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
HP will continue to produce high-powered laptops and desktops for use with large design programs like Revit, ArchiCAD and Microstation. The iPad continues to grow in use by both architects and construction field personnel but it won't be a suitable tool for using any of the above BIM programs ion the foreseeable future. Status quo just won't go.
Editor's note: This will be my last blog at BDCnetwork.com for the foreseeable future. I hope you've all enjoyed the community and the BIM, CAD and other technology news discussed here. The pleasure has been entirely mine. So long, and thanks for all the fish.
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