[rescue] This Just In: HP to buy Compaq

[Björn Ramqvist]

"Michael S. Schiller" wrote:
> 
> Well, as far as Compaq vs HP in the field of PC quality (I'm not talking about
> servers here, but rather the machines consumers would buy at Office Depot, etc) I
> would have to say that the HP machines are MUCH higher quality than the similiar
> Compaq ones. My mother had bought a Compaq for use in the office a few years ago,
> and Compaq had to replace it under warrantee because of a HD failure! It seems
> that the motherboard in it only worked with a few very specific models, and those
> models weren't being made anymore (I think it was the Quantum Bigfoot, but I
> won't swear to it), and they couldn't find a different drive to work with the
> machine. I suppose it's a good thing my mom bought the extended warantee with the
> machine, something I never do. While we were having all this trouble I had a
> chance to talk to the tech, and he said that while they sell by far more HP
> machines than Compaq, 90% of the service work was on Compaq machines! Now what
> does that tell you?

First of all, seperate servers from "consumer PC systems". Compaq has
never ever been successful in the later area, simply because of the
crappy hardware designs, failing components and so on. Noone around here
has ever been happy about a Compaq PC at their home, I'd agree on that.
The world is far bigger than that. I'd have to say that the server line
must have completely seperated offices from the "home PC" department,
cause there is a major difference between these in designing the
hardware and the support for it. Compaq made an excellent choice in
contuing with the StorageWorks part of Digital, something that has
driven Compaq to a leaderposition in storage. (not counting EMC or
Hitachi)

Selling lowprofit PCs for the masses and selling hightech servers are
different markets and noone seems capable of doing both.

/Bjorn