HP, Hewlett Packard

The Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly known as HP, is the world's largest information technology corporation and is worldwide known for its printers and personal computers. more...

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Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States, it has a global presence in the fields of computing, printing, and digital imaging, and also provides software and services.

HP posted US$91.7 billion in annual revenue in 2006, accelerating the competition with IBM for the distinction of being the world's largest technology vendor in terms of sales. HP is now the No. 1 ranking in worldwide personal computer shipments, surpassing rival Dell, market research firms Gartner and IDC reported in October 2006.

Company history

Founding

HP was founded on January 1, 1939 as a manufacturer of test and measurement instruments, by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, with an investment of 538 United States dollars. They had both graduated from Stanford University in 1934. The company originated in a garage in nearby Palo Alto while they were post-grad students at Stanford during the Great Depression. After he won a coin toss to name the company, Bill named it Hewlett-Packard.

Their first product was a precision audio oscillator, the Model 200A. Their innovation was the use of a small night-light bulb as a temperature dependent resistor in a critical portion of the circuit. This allowed them to sell the Model 200A for $54.40 when competitors were selling less stable oscillators for over $200. The Model 200 series of generators continued until at least 1972 as the 200AB, still tube-based but improved in design through the years. At 33 years, it was perhaps the longest-selling basic electronic design of all time.

The company name, Hewlett-Packard, was derived from the founders' last names. Had Bill not won a coin toss, the company today might be known as Packard-Hewlett. One of the company's earliest customers was The Walt Disney Company, who bought eight Model 200B oscillators (at $71.50 each) for use in certifying the Fantasound surround sound systems installed in theaters for the movie Fantasia.

Inventions

LightScribe was invented by Hewlett-Packard engineer Daryl Anderson. LightScribe is an optical disc recording technology that utilizes specially coated recordable CD and DVD media to produce laser-etched labels. LightScribe is licensed by HP to numerous hardware manufacturers, media manufacturers and software developers. Although currently limited to desktop and laptop PC DVD/CD drives, HP has ambitions to make LightScribe present in consumer electronics products such as stereo-component CD recording decks and set-top DVD recorders.

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