HP Reinvent Partner Conference
Here's a recap of what we saw at HP’s partner conference in Houston.
April 2, 2019
![HP 2019 Reinvent Gallery pic HP 2019 Reinvent Gallery pic](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blt816fa02177c86ba9/65245bec2de618fac82c020f/HP-Gallery-pic.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Weisler kicked off the Reinvent noting that this year marks HP’s 80th anniversary as a company. HP famously was founded in a garage with just $538 by Bill Hewlett and David Packard. A booth in the exhibit hall showcased that garage setting.
“They built HP to be in a different kind of company and it’s called an innovation engine, constantly reinventing not just themselves,” Weisler said. “Bill and Dave encouraged employees and partners, which has always been central to HP’s success, to take risks. Their mindset was decades ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of human potential and progress and achieving success.”
Disrupting the way products are delivered to customers will remain a key priority for HP moving forward, which will include an emphasis on security and providing improved user experiences.
“While we keep our foot on the pedal and grow our core, we need to shift more of our business to contractual models,” Weisler said.
Alex Cho, president of HP’s Personal Systems business, rolled out the company’s new security-as-a-service options available through its DaaS model.
Enrique Lores, president of HP’s printing and imaging group, emphasized the company’s new line of OfficeJet, LaserJet and managed print services, brought on stage Elle magazine editor in chief Nina Garcia, who explained her passion for embracing technology to improve the creative process, whether through her publication or in the world of fashion.
Garcia showed a scarf that was the output of an HP printer.
As Weisler talked up the notion of how digital transformation is disrupting traditional business models, he used WeWork as an example.
WeWork, which has disrupted the commercial real-estate business with its cooperative approach to sharing office space, is an HP partner – its products are used throughout its properties.
Michael Gross, WeWork’s vice chairman, joined Weisler on stage during the keynote, sporting an HP tee shirt.
“We will have close to 100 million square feet under our control in the top hundred-plus cities in the world over the next couple of years,” Gross said.
HP’s top executive team met with the media directly after the keynote to field questions. One question we asked Weisler: To what extent is making acquisitions going to play a role in HP’s growth?
Given that HP has committed to returning 50-75 percent of its capital to shareholders, that would leave 25-50 percent available for acquisitions, he said.
Weisler said that HP is focused on a few growth areas where it sees opportunity, including the A3 copier market, its graphics business that is shifting from analog to digital, device as a service, 3D printing and immersive technologies.
“If M&A helps to accelerate any areas of those strategies, we will look at it and evaluate it on a returns-based framework,” he said. “An example of that was the Samsung acquisition, which was absolutely key to the growth of A3.”
HP introduced its new VR Reverb headset, which offers immersive 3D experiences. Traditional recall rates are around 10 percent but with VR, that can extend to 75 percent, Cho told attendees.
While customers have described the existing crop of VR headsets as narrow, Cho believes that’s now changing with this release, which he noted is half the cost ($649); twice the clarity with 2160 x 2160 panel per eye with double the resolution and a 114-degree field of view; and two-thirds the weight.
“That is some slick and engineering,” he said. “It’s the highest resolution VR headset out there. And together with HP VR solutions, we are making virtual reality real.”
HP has offered video conferencing systems integrated with Skype for Business, but now the company is adding support for Zoom meetings to the mix with the company’s new HP Elite Slice G2.
The systems, based on Windows IoT Enterprise, are PC-based, allow one-touch meetings to Skype and Zoom, and can be customized by partners.
While HP’s Spectre is the company’s premium PC line for commercial and business customers, many of its features are coming down to the company’s lower-end systems.
HP previewed its newly revamped Envy line, which now has AMOLED displays, a refined design and thin bezels. The new lineup of 13-, 15- and 17-inch laptops are available in both convertible and clamshell configurations, and with either Intel’s 8th generation core processors or AMD Ryzen CPUs.
HP has also expanded AMD Ryzen to some new ProBook laptops and the new ProDesk 405 G4 Desktop Mini.
HP showcased a newline of OfficeJet and LaserJet systems. The company has replaced its existing OfficeJet 6000 and 8000 Series with a new 8000 and 9000 Series, which offer “smart-healing” Wi-Fi, plus a new Smart Tasks module in the HP Smart App to eliminate repetitive tasks when using the app to create scanning and printing parameters.
On the laser side, HP launched its new LaserJet 600 Series, an A4 device that lets managed-print-service partners administer the systems more easily. And the company expanded its A3 LaserJet line with new entry-level models.
HP showcased a newline of OfficeJet and LaserJet systems. The company has replaced its existing OfficeJet 6000 and 8000 Series with a new 8000 and 9000 Series, which offer “smart-healing” Wi-Fi, plus a new Smart Tasks module in the HP Smart App to eliminate repetitive tasks when using the app to create scanning and printing parameters.
On the laser side, HP launched its new LaserJet 600 Series, an A4 device that lets managed-print-service partners administer the systems more easily. And the company expanded its A3 LaserJet line with new entry-level models.
At HP’s Reinvent partner conference in Houston this month, the company celebrated its past, but primarily underscored how it is transforming its approach to product development and bringing its systems and services to market. HP CEO Dion Weisler gave homage to company’s 80th anniversary, which famously was spawned in the garage of founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard.
Weisler also underscored the changes HP has undergone, three years after it split into two companies by spinning out its server, storage and network business into what is now Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). While the separation was difficult, its headwinds are now a part of the past, Weisler said, as he thanked partners for sticking with HP.
“You stood with us, you believed in us and you trusted — and because you did, we’re a much stronger company today,” he told attendees in the opening keynote of the conference. “Close to 90 percent of our business went through the channel last year. Our commercial and consumer channels both grew revenue – double digits in dollar terms – and that’s more than $6.5 billion in new revenue.”
HP used the conference to launch new PCs for SMB customers as well as refreshed OfficeJet and LaserJet printers. The new wares offer improved capabilities with a focus on enhanced design; the company emphasized its growing device-as-a-service (DaaS) strategy. The “as-a-service” model includes new security capabilities for PCs, printers and managed print services.
Scroll through our slide show above to see some highlights of HP Reinvent.
Read more about:
VARs/SIsAbout the Author(s)
You May Also Like