IS THE SPYING DEBACLE GOOD FOR HP ?

[Anonymous]

Is the spying debacle actually good for HP?
All
of the intrigue surrounding Hewlett-Packard is titillating stuff, sure,
but investors mostly worry about three things: the effect on HP’s
focus, sales and stock price.It’s a particularly important question now
that it’s October, the official start to the big fourth-quarter
consumer buying season, with HP placing bets on a new line of laptops
and desktops with built-in next-generation HD-DVD technology.We might
not know the spying scandal’s impact on HP’s focus for several more
quarters; it often takes that long to see whether executives took their
eyes off the ball at a crucial moment, allowing a competitor to gain
tactical advantage. But we do know that focus is an often
underestimated asset; it’s what allowed Apple Computer to innovate
through the tech downturn and emerge triumphant with the iPod, and what
allowed HP itself to invent and survive a diet and exercise regimen
that has given it a new air of vitality.But what we will see a lot
sooner – indeed, we’ll pick up hints of it when retail sales reports
start trickling in next month – is any impact on sales. If the scandal
has sullied HP’s reputation with consumers, that could hurt badly; the
company still pulls in a huge proportion of its profits from sales of
printer ink, for example, and the holiday season is prime time for that
and every other consumer category.

But what if the scandal doesn’t hurt HP at all? What if it actually helps?
I
know, it’s crazy talk. But unlike the hot-battery fiascos that Dell and
Apple recently weathered, this HP business might not give consumers
that not-so-safe feeling. Consumers might actually hesitate to buy a
laptop from Dell or Apple, remembering the battery recalls of a few
months ago. But will they hesitate to buy HP gear because the company
snooped on board members, employees and journalists (and their
families) in the process of hunting a leaker? Heck, I’m gonna say
probably not.Those of us who are semi-geeky followers of tech news
might be taken aback by the notion, but really, the American public
lately has shown an amazing willingness to give investigating powers
the benefit of the doubt. It’s unclear whether the public will extend
HP the same goodwill it gives the Bush administration. But I wouldn’t
be surprised.Mark hurd How could the scandal help HP? It’s possible
that the public will see the company as an aggressive and innovative
company that has secrets others want to view. They might view the
company as one that got just a little too carried away with its efforts
to keep a lid on things. And folks might view the steady statesman Mark
Hurd, who’s able to pacify irate lawmakers, as just the guy they’d
trust to treat them right.Who hasn’t had a tech problem and had to call
a company to make things right? The image of HP CEO Hurd showing up on
Capitol Hill to personally take responsibility and set things in order
might be just the reassurance that holiday shoppers are looking for.
And if that happens, that could even mean good things for HP
stock.That’s not a prediction, by any means. But it’s a possibility
worth considering. 

[Author]

October 16, 2006 at 10:56 AM