HP to exploit IBM sale
Firm outlines plans to capitalise on rival's PC division sell-off
Hewlett-Packard (HP) hopes to capitalise on potential confusion caused by IBM's pending $1.75bn sale of its PC division to Chinese firm Lenovo.
HP last week launched a PC rebate programme in the US to grab market share from Big Blue. Although it currently has no such plans for the UK, the proposed sale represents a "good opportunity" for the vendor's UK business, said David Poskett, director solutions partner organisation at HP.
"In the UK we have no specific plans regarding the IBM announcement, but there is potential in the marketplace. I think this is an opportunity for us," Poskett said.
He added that the vendor will step up its demand generation efforts, and that it has seen a ten-fold increase in sales in its PC division over the past year.
"IBM's deal raises concerns. Customers may be confused about the impact on quality, support and development. This gives us a chance," Poskett said.
However, Shaune Parsons, managing director of Computer World Wales, a partner of both HP and IBM, said HP has a lot of work to do to lure the channel away from IBM.
"HP has annoyed quite a few partners recently," he said. "It needs to have more people on the ground keeping the channel informed. However, with the IBM deal we expect price points to come down, which should keep customers happy."
IBM was unavailable for comment.