(Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA, www.hp.com) The second largest computer company in the U.S. HP was founded in 1939 by William Hewlett and David Packard in a garage behind the Packard's California home. Its first product, an audio oscillator for measuring sound, was the beginning of a line of electronics that made HP an international supplier of electronic test and measurement instruments. Walt Disney Studios, HP's first big customer, purchased eight oscillators to develop and test a new sound system for the movie "Fantasia."
HP entered the computer field in 1966 with the 2116A, the first model of the series named HP 1000 a few years later. The 2116A was designed to gather and analyze the data produced by HP instruments. Lasting nearly four decades, HP 1000 computers were used for process monitoring and control, alarm management and machine monitoring.
In 1972, HP branched into business computing with the 3000 series, a multiuser system that became well known for its high reliability, especially for that time. The successful 3000 family has continued to be one of HP's major computer series. Also in 1972, HP introduced the first scientific handheld calculator, the HP-35, obsoleting the slide rule and ushering in a new age of pocket-sized calculators. In 1982, the first HP 9000 workstation was introduced.
HP's first personal computer was the Touchscreen 150, a non-standard MS-DOS computer that gained only modest acceptance. In 1985, it introduced its first completely IBM-compatible PC, the 286-based Vectra model and has offered a variety of laptop and desktop PCs ever since.
In 1984, HP revolutionized the printer market with its desktop LaserJet printer, which has set the standard for the industry. HP continues its leadership in this area with routine advances in resolution, speed and price. It has become a formidable contender in desktop and network printers.
In 1986, it introduced Precision Architecture, a RISC-based architecture for its 3000 and 9000 series product lines, which proved very successful. In 1989, HP acquired Apollo Computer, a workstation manufacturer, and combined technologies to become a leader in the field of Unix-based workstations.
HP sells over 10,000 different products in the electronics and computer field and has gained a worldwide reputation for its quality engineering. In 1999, HP spun off its test and measurement divisions into a new company named Agilent Technologies. The business units involved grossed nearly eight billion in 1998 and employed 45,000 people worldwide. The new company is headquartered at 395 Page Mill Road, the site where Hewlett and Packard constructed their first building in 1943.
In 2002, HP acquired Compaq Computer. Since Compaq had acquired Digital Equipment Corporation in 1998, the Compaq acquisition resulted in HP absorbing its major competitor going back to the early days of minicomputers and lasting for many years.
Hewlett and Packard
Dave Packard (left) and Bill Hewlett (right) develop their innovative audio oscillator in Packard's Palo Alto garage in 1939. Perhaps they didn't realize they were starting one of the largest and most-respected high-technology companies in the world. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
Hewlett and Packard 50 Years Later
Nearly 50 years after the picture above, this photo was taken in 1988 at an awards ceremony at corporate headquarters. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
HP's First Product
This is the advertisement for the original audio oscillator, HP's first product in 1939. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
The 2116A
The 2116A was HP's first computer designed for the process control industry. It was the beginning of a long line of computers for this niche as well as for scientific and commercial applications. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
HP entered the computer field in 1966 with the 2116A, the first model of the series named HP 1000 a few years later. The 2116A was designed to gather and analyze the data produced by HP instruments. Lasting nearly four decades, HP 1000 computers were used for process monitoring and control, alarm management and machine monitoring.
In 1972, HP branched into business computing with the 3000 series, a multiuser system that became well known for its high reliability, especially for that time. The successful 3000 family has continued to be one of HP's major computer series. Also in 1972, HP introduced the first scientific handheld calculator, the HP-35, obsoleting the slide rule and ushering in a new age of pocket-sized calculators. In 1982, the first HP 9000 workstation was introduced.
HP's first personal computer was the Touchscreen 150, a non-standard MS-DOS computer that gained only modest acceptance. In 1985, it introduced its first completely IBM-compatible PC, the 286-based Vectra model and has offered a variety of laptop and desktop PCs ever since.
In 1984, HP revolutionized the printer market with its desktop LaserJet printer, which has set the standard for the industry. HP continues its leadership in this area with routine advances in resolution, speed and price. It has become a formidable contender in desktop and network printers.
In 1986, it introduced Precision Architecture, a RISC-based architecture for its 3000 and 9000 series product lines, which proved very successful. In 1989, HP acquired Apollo Computer, a workstation manufacturer, and combined technologies to become a leader in the field of Unix-based workstations.
HP sells over 10,000 different products in the electronics and computer field and has gained a worldwide reputation for its quality engineering. In 1999, HP spun off its test and measurement divisions into a new company named Agilent Technologies. The business units involved grossed nearly eight billion in 1998 and employed 45,000 people worldwide. The new company is headquartered at 395 Page Mill Road, the site where Hewlett and Packard constructed their first building in 1943.
In 2002, HP acquired Compaq Computer. Since Compaq had acquired Digital Equipment Corporation in 1998, the Compaq acquisition resulted in HP absorbing its major competitor going back to the early days of minicomputers and lasting for many years.
Hewlett and Packard
Dave Packard (left) and Bill Hewlett (right) develop their innovative audio oscillator in Packard's Palo Alto garage in 1939. Perhaps they didn't realize they were starting one of the largest and most-respected high-technology companies in the world. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
Hewlett and Packard 50 Years Later
Nearly 50 years after the picture above, this photo was taken in 1988 at an awards ceremony at corporate headquarters. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
HP's First Product
This is the advertisement for the original audio oscillator, HP's first product in 1939. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
The 2116A
The 2116A was HP's first computer designed for the process control industry. It was the beginning of a long line of computers for this niche as well as for scientific and commercial applications. (Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Photos: A look at HP's portable data center
- One of the more busy areas of the expo floor at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo this week was a walkthrough of HP's "Performance-Optimized Data Center." These portable data centers, also known as PODs, went on sale a little less than a month ago, according to HP representatives....
- Blog posts 2008-10-15
- The Future looks very Cloudy
- I've just attended the one day, highly-focused executive 'Cloud Summit' conference. The Cloud—used to describe everything from internet-based computing utilities to Software as a Service — was examined and its future impact explored within the highly appropriate venue of the Silicon Valley Computer History Museum. ...
- Blog posts 2008-10-14
- Thoughts on Apple's new products
- Thoughts on Apple's new productsExcept the rest of the market didn't hold an event......announcing new products.The reasons to not buy anything always outweighthe reasons to buy.When you switch to a MacBook Air, you can't believe how you just don't care about what connectivity you don't have. With wi-fi everywhere...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-14
- 'I'm a PC. A $999 MacBook still doesn't tempt me' (or does it?)
- 'I'm a PC. A $999 MacBook still doesn't tempt me' (or does it?)MS will have nothing exciting on the OS front for Christmas this year.If you want to do something exciting, you will have to buy a Mac. And, it only gets worse for MS on the MID/NetBook front. That...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-14
- Apple's new MacBook line: Affordable enough?
- Apple's new MacBook line: Affordable enough?What are the specsI haven't seen the specs yet (are they published?) but I don't think it's going to be enough. They either need to compete with Windows PC's or not. Don't half ass it. My guess is the lower price will still not match...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-14
- How green is your vendor?
- Gartner analyst Simon Mingay on Tuesday unveiled ratings for technology vendors to highlight who's talking green and who's actually delivering. Just don't expect anything too quantitative just yet. Mingay's presentation at the Gartner Symposium ITXpo caught my attention given that every vendor is...
- Blog posts 2008-10-14
- NVIDIA problems spread to desktop PCs
- NVIDIA problems spread to desktop PCs8600GTa couple of months ago, I bought 2 8600GT cards to build an SLI system. One of these failed within 1 month. It was Gigabyte card and they did replace it, however, I have since upgraded to the 8800GT with 1GB memory to avoid problems.RE:...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-14
- Dell negotiations: Street ball without the refs
- Dell negotiations: Street ball without the refsSimple solution- Don't buy DellDell makes utter garbage. Smart companies don't buy garbage. So don't buy Dell's garbage and you will be a better company.RE: Dell negotiations: Street ball without the refsWho's left? IBM, HP & Acer, right? IBM split...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-14
- NVIDIA problems spread to desktop PCs
- HP has identified 38 different models in its slimline PC range that are suffering from problems relating to NVIDIA chips. by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
- Blog posts 2008-10-14
- Dell negotiations: Street ball without the refs
- Negotiating hardware deals with Dell isn't for everybody. In fact dealing with Dell can be downright difficult relative to other hardware vendors. That takeaway came from Gartner analyst Leslie Fiering's presentation at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo. In that presentation, Fiering noted that Dell's pricing isn't transparent if you're an IT...
- Blog posts 2008-10-14
- And speaking of Sun Microsystems
- Sun Microsystems is not a name we often associate with education outside of high-end technical fields at the university level. Of course, Sun is responsible for OpenOffice and has recently acquired both MySQL and VirtualBox, all of which (especially OO.org) have quite a bit of relevance here. ...
- Blog posts 2008-10-13
- CEOs freak out; IT preps a do-over
- CEOs freak out; IT preps a do-overMy perception of CEOsMy perception of CEOs:1. Company makes a profit, CEO gets a pay raise and a bonus.2. Company loses money, CEO fires people and still gets a pay raise and a bonus.3. Company files for bankruptcy, CEO gets a severance package for...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-13
- Can virtualization help when times get tough?
- When times get tough, many organizations look for new ways to reduce costs while still being able to provide their customers with the products and services they need. This appears to be just such a time. Virtualization technology can most certainly be part of the solution. Let's review how each...
- Blog posts 2008-10-13
- Print this: Actually, please don't, but DO think about why printers should get more airtime in green tech discussions
- I was talking to someone within the past couple of months (I honestly can't remember who right now, sorry) who made a pretty profound statement that seems pertinent in the context of this post. I had just admitted, somewhat shamefacedly, to my ongoing addiction to printing out my notes, presentations...
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- Defective NVIDIA GPUs present in MacBook Pro
- Apple has now joined the ranks of Dell and HP and admitted that some if its MacBook Pro notebooks have been shipped with defective NVIDIA GPUs. by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- Forrester: Credit crunch may freeze tech services projects
- Forrester Research in a report is confirming that the credit crunch is beginning to hit technology services firms. The extent of the damage is unclear, but IBM's lower-than-expected third quarter revenue its earnings are stronger than expected may indicate something worse is afoot. Forrester's...
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- Zyxel NSA-220 NAS
- The empty, two-bay Zyxel NSA-220 NAS device has solid overall performance, a good Web interface, and can be found online for a reasonable cost of $220. Aside from an FTP server, media server, iTunes server, and print server, the NSA-220 also has the capability to keep track of RSS feeds...
- Product reviews 2008-10-09
- Acer Aspire 5735-4624
- Editors' note: This review is part of our Holiday 2008 Retail Laptop Roundup, covering specific new configurations of popular laptops that can be found in retail stores.If you set out to find the largest laptop for the smallest price, your quarry would be Acer Aspire 5735-4624, a 15.6-inch laptop that...
- Product reviews 2008-10-09
- Apple notebook for $800 - Would you be interested?
- Apple notebook for $800 - Would you be interested?If it's a netbook......then it's suicide at an $800 price point. Only fanboys and fashionistas will buy it.Apple doesn't make a notebookThey make laptops, remember?LOLI actually think that PC doesn't stand for Personal Computer, it stands for Price Conscious.When you decide...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
- Apple makes it official. Notebook announcement next week.
- Apple makes it official. Notebook announcement next week.Expect some people to care.Do not expect me to raise an eyebrow.Not that old!"The current MacBook Pro design was introduced almost 3 years ago..."Lets be realistic about this, doesn't he mean almost 8 years ago? (and actually I thought the TiBooks came out...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
Business-Grade Laptops
- What do you look for in a laptop? And who’s the best? When you choose a laptop for yourself or your organization, what’s the key factor you look for? And what’s your favorite vendor? Learn more »
- Six Great Laptop Hacks Read now »
- From our sponsors
-
Business. Ready.
- Sony VAIO® Professional Notebooks A new grade in mobility demands a new kind of PC. See how Sony VAIO® PCs can meet your business needs. Learn more »
- Award-winning technical support Protect your PC investment. Right now, buy a select VAIO® notebook and get a Docking Station bundle at no extra cost. Learn more »
-
