Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company
Company typePublic
NYSE: HPQ (2002–2015)
Industry
FoundedJuly 2, 1939 (1939-07-02)
Founders
DefunctNovember 1, 2015 (2015-11-01)
FateSplit into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Successors
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
37°24′49″N 122°08′42″W / 37.4136°N 122.1451°W / 37.4136; -122.1451
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsList of Hewlett-Packard products
Revenue2,000,000,000 United States dollar (2015) Edit this on Wikidata
SubsidiariesList of subsidiaries

The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard (/ˈhjuːlɪt ˈpækərd/ HYEW-lit PAK-ərd) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components, as well as software and related services to consumers, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health, and education sectors. The company was founded in a one-car garage in Palo Alto by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939, and initially produced a line of electronic test and measurement equipment. The HP Garage at 367 Addison Avenue is now designated an official California Historical Landmark, and is marked with a plaque calling it the "Birthplace of 'Silicon Valley'".

The company won its first big contract in 1938 to provide the HP 200B, a variation of its first product, the HP 200A low-distortion frequency oscillator[1] for Walt Disney's production of the animated film Fantasia, which allowed Hewlett and Packard to formally establish the Hewlett-Packard Company on July 2, 1939.[2] The company grew into a multinational corporation widely respected for its products. HP was the world's leading PC manufacturer from 2007 until the second quarter of 2013, when Lenovo moved ahead of HP.[3][4][5] HP specialized in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware; designing software; and delivering services. Major product lines included personal computing devices, enterprise and industry standard servers, related storage devices, networking products, software, and a range of printers and other imaging products. The company directly marketed its products to households; small- to medium-sized businesses and enterprises, as well as via online distribution; consumer-electronics and office-supply retailers; software partners; and major technology vendors. It also offered services and a consulting business for its products and partner products.

In 1999, HP spun off its electronic and bio-analytical test and measurement instruments business into Agilent Technologies; HP retained focus on its later products, including computers and printers. It merged with Compaq in 2002, and acquired Electronic Data Systems in 2008, which led to combined revenues of $118.4 billion that year and a Fortune 500 ranking of 9 in 2009. In November 2009, HP announced its acquisition of 3Com,[6] and closed the deal on April 12, 2010.[7] On April 28, 2010, HP announced its buyout of Palm, Inc. for $1.2 billion.[8] On September 2, 2010, HP won its bidding war for 3PAR with a $33 a share offer ($2.07 billion), which Dell declined to match.[9]

On November 1, 2015, Hewlett-Packard was split into two separate companies; its enterprise products and services business were spun-off to form Hewlett Packard Enterprise, while its personal computer and printer businesses became HP Inc.[10]

  1. ^ "History and Facts: The beginning". www.hpmemoryproject.org. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "Our History". Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Kobie, Nicole (January 14, 2013). "HP regains PC lead over Lenovo". PC Pro. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  4. ^ Montlake, Simon (July 11, 2013). "Lenovo Shares Jump As PC Shipments Overtake HP". Forbes.
  5. ^ "Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 1 Percent in Fourth Quarter of 2014" (Press release). Gartner. January 12, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  6. ^ O'Brien, Chris (April 15, 2010). "HP's acquisitions cement company's No. 1 status". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "HP Completes Acquisition of 3Com Corporation, Accelerates Converged Infrastructure Strategy" (Press release). Hewlett-Packard. April 12, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  8. ^ Vance, Ashlee; Wortham, Jenna (April 28, 2010). "H.P. to Pay $1.2 billion for Palm". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Dell gives up bidding war for 3Par Inc". Winston-Salem Journal. Associated Press. September 3, 2010. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  10. ^ Mukherjee, Supantha; Chan, Edwin (October 6, 2014). "Hewlett-Packard to split into two public companies, lay off 5,000". Reuters. Retrieved October 7, 2020.