HP’s (NYSE: HPQ) all-in-one (AIO), touch-enabled desktop PC for businesses will bring in lots of net new opportunities to the company, explains Phil Smith, product manager for business desktops at HP Canada. Demand for this solution is expected to ramp up even more now that the company has also announced two new zero per cent financing promotions.
The new HP dx9000 TouchSmart Business PC is not the first touch-enabled solution from the company. Two years ago, HP introduced a touch-enabled desktop PC for consumers. This product was so successful that HP decided to extend the same benefits to business environments, Smith said.
“The dx9000 is a business-grade product that also includes HP Power Manager, that allows (users) to manage the energy-efficiency of the PC,” Smith added. “We’re targeting this to verticals such as: SMB customers, education, healthcare and hospitality.”
Smith says SMB customers can use the dx9000 as a kiosk in a lobby, while for educational purposes, teachers can use the solution to better interact with information on the screen. The business possibilities with this AIO are endless, since the product is still very new and the technology and form-factor are still in their early days, Smith adds.
The dx9000 comes pre-loaded with Windows Vista Business 64 and runs on Intel’s Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, and includes 4GB of memory and a 320GB high-speed hard drive. The model only comes in size, featuring a 22-inch diagonal high-definition widescreen LCD display. The PC also features a built-in webcam and microphone, DVD drive and an integrated five-in-one media card reader.
Smith also said the PC is limited in its multi-touch capabilities, but he says in future refreshes of the product, full multi-touch capabilities will be supported.
“Right now we’re launching the product with just the 22-inch screen to start because it’ll be a net new, niche product to start,” Smith said.
The PC will be available to the Canadian channel at a price point of $1,749 by mid-February, Smith said. While he could not comment specifically on margins, he said partners will see higher margins on this product versus what they’d normally see on traditional PCs.
“This product will let partners better compete with HP competitors and will allow them to get into spaces they’ve never been in before,” Smith said.
The solution, Smith explains, is also eligible for one of two zero per cent financing promotions, which the company announced yesterday. The two financing offers are available through HP Financial Services, the company’s asset management services and leasing subsidiary.
The two promotions include a zero per cent, 12-month promotion plan that lets small businesses purchase the equipment for one dollar at the end of a 12-month term. In addition to this offer, HP’s also offering businesses a zero per cent 36-month lease that offers a fair market value purchase option at the end of the lease. In Canada, customers can finance between $5,000 and $150,000 worth of products from now until April 30, 2009.
These offers, combined with its dx9000 lead Smith to believe there will be much business ahead for HP’s business desktop unit. He says, “I expect to see a lot of net new business with the dx9000 that doesn’t cannibalize on any of our current business.”