Meg Whitman should fire herself
HP CEO Meg Whitman has made the bizarre statement that Apple to take over as the world's number one PC maker in 2012 but she thinks the maker of expensive printer ink will bounce back in 2013.
Speaking to Le Figaro, Whitman said that she expected Apple to take top spot from HP although quite how this would happen in the next few months unless HP pulls out of the PC market is hard to see. Apparently she thinks that the next version of the iPad is likely to be the product to tip the balance in Apple’s favour. But since the iPad is not a PC and is likely to be facing problems of its own, it is hard to see how Whitman thinks that Apple will do better.
Her comments follow a comment from Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling who claimed hat HP and Apple will fight for top position in Q4, but Apple may have to wait for the release of iPad 3 before it passes HP. Rather than laughing at the comment and pointing out that the day Apple makes PCs that normal people can afford and does not have to factor in gizmos like keyboardless notepads, which will probably be out of fashion by next year, Whitman took the comment seriously.
She said HP will bounce back when “the products that I have influence on to make it to the market,” she told the French daily newspaper. "We will try to be champions again in 2013." With an attitude like that we would think that HP is doomed.
Nick Farell
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