Research

Hewlett Packard Description While Hewlett-Packard may be known for product innovation, the company's corporate development is a tale of reinvention. HP provides enterprise and consumer customers a full range of high-tech equipment, including personal computers, servers, storage devices, printers, and networking equipment. Its software portfolio includes operating systems, print management tools, and OpenView, a suite that encompasses application, business, network infrastructure, and product lifecycle management. HP also boasts an IT service organization that is among the world's largest. Though no longer its largest segment, printing and imaging products still make up a large portion of HP's revenues. The company's 2002 acquisition of Indigo added high-end digital printing presses to its comprehensive line of printing and imaging equipment. HP clashes with PC rival Dell in the printer market as well, as the direct-sale specialist now sells Dell-branded Lexmark printers. HP moved into the high-end copier market in 2003, introducing a line of high-volume, multifunction devices. It also acquired the the assets of wide-format printing specialist Scitex Vision (a unit of Scitex Corporation) in 2005. Dell Description Don't let the name change fool you. Despite the decision to drop "Computer" from its name, Dell remains the world's #1 direct-sale computer vendor and competes with Hewlett-Packard for the worldwide PC title. In addition to a full line of desktop and notebook PCs designed for consumers, Dell offers network servers, workstations, storage systems, and Ethernet switches for enterprise customers. The company also sells handheld computers, and it markets third-party software and peripherals. Dell's growing services unit provides systems integration, support, and training. With the industry-standard Wintel platform (Microsoft Windows operating system and Intel microprocessor) as its foundation, Dell faces intense competition from Hewlett-Packard, whose market share increased dramatically following its acquisition of perennial PC leader Compaq. Dell generates about 80% of its sales from desktop and notebook PCs. The company diversified its PC offerings in 2005 with the launch of XPS, a line of high-end desktop and notebook PCs for gamers and others willing to pay premium prices for top performance.