iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent

Tim · #1 02-17-2006, 09:24 PM

Eeek... Brighthand reports that iPAQ maker Hewlett-Packard has reported that they received $216 million dollars in sales in the recent financial quarter. Although anything in the millions sounds like a big number, it is actually a decrease of 25% since the same quarter last year. Ouch. It's probably because other manufacturers are focusing on convergence devices when HP was focusing are the traditional PDA. That's not to say that they haven't been producing any convergence devices (i.e. h6300 and hw6500) but it just hasn't been as successful. Also, there still hasn't been an HP smartphone for sale, only rumors of producing one. HP needs to change their handheld vision big time, or there are going to be in big doo doo. We love you HP, we just wish you'd hurry up and make an HP iPAQ hx9000 that has the performance and resolution of the hx4705, but with GPS, a built it keyboard, of course phone.
Read more [Brighthand]...

benji · #2 02-20-2006, 08:17 AM

It's their own fault.
For the last few years they have ignored the consumer to pursue the business market (in all their products). Remember how annoyed people were when they refused to upgrade a number of iPAQs models to WM2003SE (and again with their delays to WM2005)? I still refuse to purchase HP machines because of this - both personally and in business. If you can't trust a business you can't deal with it
Why companies don't see that business buyers are also consumers so both are valid markets even if one doesn't provide the direct profits they feed the other.
So I say again... It's their own fault

Jane Lee · #3 02-20-2006, 03:02 PM

benji- I think I agree with you for the most part. Although there are business specific applications/ devices out there, the Treo 700 seems to be a great example of a device that integrates well in both the personal and business markets, ya?

Tim · #4 02-20-2006, 05:01 PM

Yeah, I was pretty steamed when I realized that there wasn't going to be a WM 5.0 upgrade for my hw6500 and they were just going to go straight to the hw6900. I really hate it when companies just drop support on older devices in light of a new one and expect that all older device owners upgrade to the "new and improved" one. That's a bunch of crap, there are a lot of "older device" owners out there that know that paying another 300-400 bucks for some minor features isn't worth it when all they want is for the company to show some upgrading love. Sheesh.
-Tim

benji · #5 02-21-2006, 08:04 AM

Jane Lee: Sorry, I didn't mean that devices were either business or personal, I agree that a decent PDA should cope with both - it's the market (for the same devices) that is different.
HP won't offer upgrades because they feel (probably correctly) that companies will buy new devices earlier than they would if an upgrade path was possible. But this disadvantages (and more importantly irritates) the consumers, who can't afford to replace devices for these updates. But this is a mistake because these consumers are the same people who go into work and make IT buying decisions.
I got a HP 2210 about 2 years ago for work and play, shortly afterwards windows 2003SE was released and HP refused to provide an upgrade for this and other models - I noticed that Dell did. In work I was asked to recommend a PDA, now alot more people going to be walking around with Dells because in my opinion they are more likely to produce upgrades.
So a quick buck makes long term losses.

Jane Lee · #6 02-21-2006, 06:52 PM

benji and Tim,
Great points... not a very loyal service to their current customers. Hopefully HP will follow the example of companies like Dell or provide super cheap upgrades in the least. Keep us posted when you can benji... it would be an interesting trend to follow!