Thinner! Lighter! HP goes all out as it launches 80 new products in Shanghai today

By Chude Jideonwo, reporting from Shanghai, China  

PC and Printing company HP today launched a new batch of laptops at its Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai – in total, the brand launched 80 new products. These include Ultrabooks, the world’s first mobile all-in-one printer, an all-in-one zero client device with power over ethernet and four new laserjet models.

“These products are inspired by our customers, and confirm our passion to fuse form, function, style and reliability into great computers and printers,” said Todd Bradley, who is the executive vice president for Printing and Personal Systems. Adding to that was Steve Hoffman, who is vice president and chief of staff: “We are ready to change the market without printers and PC portfolio in ways we haven’t done before.”

It’s an interesting turn of events – barely a year ago, the company had tried to sell off its computer business and now, as it gathers tens of tech heads and media influencers from across the world for two days in the Chinese business capital, it is making it clear that PCs are part of its future.

Headlining the new products are the Spectre XT (all the new Envy and Spectre models launched feature Beats Audio and Intel variants have the company’s Rapid Start Technology) and the EliteBook Folio 9470m based on Intel’s Ultrabook which is targeted at business users. The machine offers up to nine hours battery life, and is enabled for VGA video ports, and others. With the latter product, HP is aiming to “transcend the PC needs of users at work and at home,” according to Intel’s representative at the event. This is in line with HP’s obvious focus on the “consumerisation of technology”, a point that was frequently repeated at the conference (the guys need to cut down on the catch-phrases. Seriously.).

The new HP Spectre XT ultramobile Ultrabook

According to the HP senior vice-president James Mouton who kicked off the event after a spectacular opening act, the company expects 2.3 billion PCs to ship globally by 2015 with June and October dates fixed for the shipping of the above products, making the PC market a significant area for HP’s growth.

HP also introduced their “SleekBook” series. Let me try and explain: Ultrabooks generally are very thin, very light notebooks designed to have a long battery life for those on the go (or in Nigeria). The Ultrabook product type name is owned by computer memory chip maker Intel, so “thin and light” notebooks with a different chip maker (AMD in this case) cannot carry the same name. The Envy 14 and 15 will soon be available in both AMD and Intel versions, so HP had to use a different name for the AMD versions, hence the “Sleekbook” series.

(Yes, I am as confused as you are, and between us, only got these details from the more tech-godly journos around me. Tomorrow, there will be an interview with the Vice President of Marketing, Jean-Pierre Le Calvez, and hopefully I get explanations as to how they will ensure the customer isn’t as confused!)

In addition, HP executives demonstrated the use of touch-screen technology in specific industries – introducing touchscreen based computer systems and monitors that clearly pre-empts the launch of Microsoft’s much-talked-about Windows 8.


See the specifications of some of the new products:

HP Envy Spectre XT specifications

  • Configuration for starting price of £899/$999.99; available on June 8
  • Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
  • 13.3-inch diagonal display with 1366 x 768 resolution
  • Available with 3rd generation Intel Core processors
  • Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
  • Storage: 128GB (up to 256GB) Solid State Drive Flash Module
  • Backlit Keyboard + HP Imagepad
  • 802.11a/g/n 2×2 WLAN + BT + WiDi
  • Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and HDMI
  • Dimensions: 327 x 221 x 14.5-mm
  • Weight: 3.07 lbs.
  • Up to 8 hours of battery life
  • 2-Year Norton Internet Security
  • Beats Audio. with quad speakers
  • HP CoolSense technology
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • Full versions of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 10
  • 1-Year Absolute Data Protect
  • Concierge phone line dedicated exclusively to HP Envy Spectre users

HP Sleekbook 14-inch specifications

  • Configuration for starting price of $699.99; available May 9
  • Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
  • 14-inch diagonal display with 1366 x 768 resolution
  • Available with 2nd generation or 3rd generation Intel Core processors
  • Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
  • Storage: 500GB HDD
  • HP Imagepad with a spun finish design
  • 802.11a/g/n
  • Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, (2) USB 3.0. (1) USB 2.0, SD Card Slot and HDMI
  • Weight: starting at 4 pounds
  • Thickness: As thin as 19.8 mm
  • Slip-resistant red soft-touch base
  • Up to 8 hours of battery life
  • Beats Audio. with dual speakers and a subwoofer
  • HP CoolSense technology
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • HP Protect Smart

HP Envy Ultrabook 14-inch specifications

  • Configuration for starting price of $749.99; available May 9
  • Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
  • 14-inch diagonal display with 1366 x 768 resolution
  • Available with 2nd generation or 3rd generation Intel Core processors
  • Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
  • Storage: 32GB (cache) mSATA with 500GB HDD
  • HP Imagepad with a spun finish design
  • 802.11a/g/n
  • Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, (2) USB 3.0. (1) USB 2.0, SD Card Slot and HDMI
  • Weight: starting at 4 pounds
  • Thickness: As thin as 19.8 mm
  • Slip-resistant red soft-touch base
  • Up to 8 hours of battery life
  • Beats Audio. with dual speakers and a subwoofer
  • HP CoolSense technology
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • HP Protect Smart
  • Intel Technologies: Rapid Start, Identity Protection Technology, Smart Response and Smart Connect Technologies

HP Envy Sleekbook 15.6-inch specifications

  • Configuration for starting price of $599.99; available June 20
  • Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
  • 15.6-inch diagonal display with 1366 x 768 resolution
  • AMD’s second generation Mainstream APU
  • Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
  • Storage: 320GB HDD
  • HP Imagepad with a spun finish design
  • 802.11a/g/n
  • Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, (2) USB 3.0. (1) USB 2.0, SD Card Slot and HDMI
  • Weight: starting at 4 pounds
  • Thickness: As thin as 19.8 mm
  • Up to 9 hours of battery life
  • Beats Audio. with dual speakers and a subwoofer
  • HP CoolSense technology
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • HP Protect Smart

HP Envy Ultrabook 15.6-inch specifications

  • Configuration for starting price of $799.99; available May 9
  • Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
  • 15.6-inch diagonal display with 1366 x 768 resolution
  • Available with 2nd generation or 3rd generation Intel Core processors
  • Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
  • Storage: 32GB (cache) mSATA with 500GB HDD
  • HP Imagepad with a spun finish design
  • 802.11a/g/n
  • Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, (2) USB 3.0. (1) USB 2.0, SD Card Slot and HDMI
  • Weight: starting at 4 pounds
  • Thickness: As thin as 19.8 mm
  • Up to 9 hours of battery life
  • Beats Audio. with dual speakers and a subwoofer
  • HP CoolSense technology
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • HP Protect Smart
  • Intel Technologies: Rapid Start, Identity Protection Technology, Smart Response and Smart Connect Technologies

Editor’s Note: More reports will follow until the end of the summit.

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