02-17-2006, 04:00 PM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
|
|
iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent
"During its most recent financial quarter, HP took in $216 million from sales of its iPAQ models. This is 25 percent below the amount the company took in during the same period of the previous year."
Ed over at Brighthand speculates that it's part of the general decline of nonconnected devices, but HP hasn't helped itself by: a) having an inconsistent device strategy that cannibalizes their own products (noticed that the hx4700 isn't listed on their webpage anymore?); b) being extremely slow to release connected/converged devices, and c) slow to release WM5-supported devices and upgrades, essentially making many of their devices outdated while other vendors blow past them. Let's hope the recent HP reorganization effort bears fruit and turns this line around.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:11 PM
|
|
5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
|
|
Re: iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
c) slow to release WM5-supported devices and upgrades, essentially making many of their devices outdated while other vendors blow past them
|
Well, half a year ago I would have 100% agreed with this, but, seeing the WM5 problems with the Dell Axim x50 WM5 upgrades, I think HP (and Fujitsu-Siemens, for that matter) was right in choosing not to rush to the market with useless WM5 upgrades.
I think the rushed WM5 upgrades, in the long run, cause much more problems to Dell than good.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:22 PM
|
|
Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
|
|
Re: iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
c) slow to release WM5-supported devices and upgrades, essentially making many of their devices outdated while other vendors blow past them.
|
Now that you mention it, it's probably worth pointing out that the American release date of the recently-announced hw6900 series has been pushed from Spring to Summer. Ain't it grand? 
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:37 PM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
|
|
Re: iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Menneisyys
Well, half a year ago I would have 100% agreed with this, but, seeing the WM5 problems with the Dell Axim x50 WM5 upgrades, I think HP (and Fujitsu-Siemens, for that matter) was right in choosing not to rush to the market with useless WM5 upgrades.
|
Well... HP claims that the delay was due to the difficulty in obtaining a driver/license -- let's not assume the fact that they're releasing it late makes it any better, or that Dell couldn't have done a better job in their timeframe.
In addition, at least Dell has a flagship unit with VGA; HP doesn't even have that anymore, it seems.
--janak
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:37 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
|
|
I wouldn't be shocked to see HP leave the market altogether. Their recent converged offerings don't seem very inspired and their nonconverged devices have all but disappeared it seems. The fact there is no direct replacement (as far as we know) for the 4700 (i.e., a VGA device) is telling IMO.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:42 PM
|
|
5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by DaleReeck
The fact there is no direct replacement (as far as we know) for the 4700 (i.e., a VGA device) is telling IMO.
|
Yup, the folks at HP consider the hx2790 as the successor of the hx4700 
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 04:49 PM
|
|
5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
|
|
Re: iPAQ Revenues Down 25 Percent
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
let's not assume the fact that they're releasing it late makes it any better
|
Well, seeing Dell's failure with the x50 WM5 upgrade, I think HP will really try to come up with something less disastrous Of course, time will tell... I really hope the hx4700 WM5 upgrade will be bugfree because, then, I may also get a hx4700 because of the gorgeous screen.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
or that Dell couldn't have done a better job in their timeframe.
|
Well, Dell hasn't done much either in the last six months, x50 WM5 upgrade-wise. Of course, in their defense: they have concentrated on fixing the bugs in their x51 series (the last A06 ROM is pretty good - but, IMHO, isn't as stable and reliable as that of the Qtek 9100 1.6.7.1); maybe this is why they have almost completely neglected x50 users. Perhaps, if they haven't had a new series to bugfix, they may have released a much better WM5 upgrade for the "old" series.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 05:19 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 209
|
|
BIG YAWN for all Windows Mobile vendors in the US...
Look at the store shelves of all major retail stores..A couple of PDAs sitting there collecting dust..and start disappearing one by one...All the sales persons are clueless....
Only thing that are in the hype our days are convergeance devices since they have the phone in it and they are mostly phone centric...
But the vendors seem to neglect the power PDA users..(VGA, nice form factor, Storage Slots,...)
As far as HP is concerned...No wonder all the iPaq enthousiast Web Site (e.g. DavesiPaq, iPaqHQ, etc...) are converted to different identity..
HP wake up...You are losing your iPaq brand...
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 05:52 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
|
|
Yep. Back in the day, all my PDA stuff was bought in a store. Now, I can't remember the last time I bought a PDA in a store (well, my current Sprint 6700, but even that was still designed by Taiwanese HTC). All my stuff over the last two years was bought from Europe (e.g., Pocket Loox) or Asia (HTC devices like the PDA2K and Universal).
Stores used to have 10 PocketPC's and as many Palms on display. Now, you are lucky to see one or two HP's, a couple of Palms and a GPS/PDA combo device or two. The phone store is where all the PDA's are at now
|
| |
|
|
|
02-17-2006, 05:55 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
|
|
Actually, I stopped paying a lot of attention to HP after they decided that they weren't going to offer upgrades to WM2003SE for a lot of their devices. One of the main reasons I bought an iPaq initially was because of Compaqs history of providing at least one version upgrade. That and the dual-memory slots factored in when I dropped the money on the device. Less than a year later it was obsolete and unsupported except for some really minor and (to me) pointless patches.
Honestly, I'm looking more at something like the JasJar or similar now. One device, VGA, keyboard, either PPC or HPC configuration. Only drawback I can see so far is the price. :cry:
I agree with some of the earlier comments - give us more of what we're looking for - VGA, more memory, WM5, CF and SD (no wierd proprietary stuff - we don't want to switch our memory cards again), built-in wireless, and the option of phone/no phone for that. I personally like the slide-out keyboard some of the devices have, but keyboard isn't a must have to me. And don't forget to actually offer us full version upgrades - we're willing to pay for them. It beats buying a brand new device when the current one is capable of handling it.
As it currently stands, my next device is unlikely to be an HP as they just don't have my trust as a company that cares about what I want or will support me in the future. If that changes, I will reconsider.
-Pete (hoping someone @ HP is actually listening)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
