HP CEO asks employees to get rid of iPhones

posted by Victor H. / Feb 01, 2011, 9:39 AM

HP CEO asks employees to get rid of iPhones

HP CEO Leo Apotheker recently shared some of his thoughts and hopes about HP and it seems his major point is that HP should become “cool” like Apple. Just how cool? Reportedly, Apotheker called on his Bangalore employees to “get rid of their iPhones and iPads.” The main reason – of course – is the new webOS software, but HP's head honcho also mentioned that the hardware is ready and will ship within weeks of their announcement.

Apotheker asked 4,500 HP employees to raise their hands if they considered Apple cool and after the majority of them did, he actually urged them to get rid of their Apple products. HP's CEO also pumped expectations for new products launched in the US on February 9th. No surprise about this, right?

Apotheker is on a three-day tour in India meeting with employees reportedly to get some feedback about HP's progress. But hold on as HP's February webOS event will be followed by a March 14th event where he will announce his vision about the company's future. Is HP finally going to bring hardware to match the exciting capabilities of the webOS platform? Let us know in the comments.

source: PreCentral via BBC Mobile

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22 Comments

1. ribbonsalmark

Posts: 84; Member since: Jan 06, 2011

If HP can become a power house like Apple it would do wonders for them. If HP can secure the ability to push updates on its own without carrier approval and maintain its product line in house ie. not whore itself out to other manufacturers like Samsung or Sony Ericsson and develop strictly HP products on HP's WebOS, then yes HP can become cool like Apple, granted as long as WebOS has a user friendly environment or an environment that developers change make friendly like ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 10:06 AM 0

2. willywill_evo

Posts: 162; Member since: Jan 05, 2011

i think HP has the best laptop out right now with the envy14,17 3D and that beast the Quad Edition

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 10:56 AM 2

3. jd829

Posts: 155; Member since: Feb 24, 2010

Why is it that every CEO they show a pic of on this site, other than Steve Jobs, has some creepy expression on his face?

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 11:29 AM 10

21. GeckoHA559

Posts: 47; Member since: Jan 28, 2011

Its because most of the CEO's are driven by money only, if they don't get the money they make those creepy faces

posted on Feb 02, 2011, 6:50 PM 0

4. jtalker1965

Posts: 18; Member since: May 17, 2009

Gas, HAHAHA. Stuffy shirts.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 11:54 AM 0

5. JeffdaBeat unregistered

Someone said it on this site or maybe it was Apple Insider, but it seems like a lot of CEO have been mentioning Apple or Steve Jobs in some way to get publicity it seems. You don't hear HP talking Android or Google talking RIM. It's always Apple or the iPhone and I seriously think its because they want their names in articles or somewhere in the blogosphere. How about this, make a product that can stand up to the iPhone and high end Android devices and you'll make headlines. Your employees will also start caring about your products. I mean, if you can't even get your employees to buy into your products, why should consumers?

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 12:04 PM 3

9. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

to be fair, right now they dont have a product. its vaporware until something ships. (no im not counting current palm phone offerings). So of course they would have other manufacturer phones. Why not? MS had their employees do the same thing, so does apple. Im not sure about google. your being paid by the company to make the company better, not make another company richer.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 1:07 PM 3

6. shannbholla unregistered

I think its too late for HP and Windows Phone 7. Apple is too far ahead in the cell phone game. Google is the only thing that comes close. The only reason Google is winning is because Android is on more devices. Thats it!

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 12:13 PM 0

12. DJLegacy2k5

Posts: 212; Member since: Jan 28, 2011

What? Apple is too far ahead? They have a phone that has several screens of SHORTCUTS, no active or live icons or widgets. They haven't produced anything with dualcore processors and even their next tablet is said to barely have a megapixel camera with less than a megapixel on the front? Ahead? The only reason they are ahead is because people in america like whatever product is throw in their faces in ads. The iPhone has PUBLICLY been bashed for its poor reception and poor sound quality yet its the only phone the SHEEP will disregard actual traits NEEDED in a cell phone just to be able to say "Hey look at me I own an overpriced phone that does little more than list shortcuts to aps". Seriously, iPhone owners are near pathetic and the main reason why companies can put out inferior products and charge more money for them. The downfall of the economy will one day be linked to consumers like the ones that purchase the iPhone.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 4:24 PM 4

14. E.N.

Posts: 2610; Member since: Jan 25, 2009

Why do people get so worked up over Apple? It's so strange if you really think about it. You're being very dramatic. If people buy iPhones because of the ads then the competition needs to work on their advertising. You can't blame Apple for the other company's bad business skills. One of the things that have iPhone users stuck like glue is the app store. I don't know why Google is just now realizing that their store sucks. Higher processors and pretty homescreens may attract a few iPhone users, but it's not going to drag in millions of users like many of you are expecting.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 6:33 PM 2

20. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

ill grant you the point on advertising. Apple is very good at that. Googles achilles heel isnt its app store, its the fragmentation that keeps many of the "high end" developers from making serious apps on android. Apples devices are never top of the line, but they are uniform which makes developing for it easier. They need to do away with manufacturer customizations and level out the OS fragmentation. Most customizations are little more than specialized apps and drawer enhancements, so sell them on the market instead for those that want them.

posted on Feb 02, 2011, 12:55 PM 0

16. downbeat4

Posts: 94; Member since: Dec 03, 2010

Well spoken ;-)

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 9:00 PM 3

17. downbeat4

Posts: 94; Member since: Dec 03, 2010

@DJLegacy2k5

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 9:03 PM 2

7. Jay2pt0 unregistered

Phone Arena has officially lost me as a a reader. This is both my first and last comment. The news on this site is usually old by hours or days. It's mostly opinion and the facts are usually wrong. No blog should cite a site that cited another site. Meaning why is Phone Arena citing PreCentral who's citing the original story. That way you know what your talking about fully and you won't have to cut down quotes to imply different meaning to gain readership. The original quote was... Apotheker asked, “Those who think Apple is cool, raise your hands.” With a majority of the 4,500 employees raising their hands, Apotheker replied, “Get ready to get rid of your iPhones and iPads.” He then added that there would be real, near-term introductions, “as the hardware is ready.” Reading this in full doesn't suggest Apotheker is telling them to get rid of iPhones but implying that what HP has coming will be better and more desirable causing worker to want to switch. Anyhow, anyone is free to bash me as I won't see it. Just wanted other reader to know... ALWAYS READ THE SOURCE. Peace

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 1:02 PM 1

22. CRICKETownz

Posts: 980; Member since: Oct 24, 2009

Was it really worth this dramatic exit? Just leave...no need for the exit speech lol. God.

posted on Feb 02, 2011, 8:58 PM 0

8. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

Get rid of your Iphone OR YOUR FIRED.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 1:05 PM 2

10. 530gemini

Posts: 2198; Member since: Sep 09, 2010

Talking about communism.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 2:11 PM 0

11. Shafeer

Posts: 79; Member since: Dec 30, 2010

lol, HP workers like Apple more than HP itself...

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 2:40 PM 1

13. Slammer

Posts: 1515; Member since: Jun 03, 2010

Having owned a WebOS product before, I can say that it is handsdown the best OS out. Nothing comes close to the multi-tasking. The UI is very smooth and rich. The hold back was the hardware. If HP can strengthen the hardware in durability, I feel they could be a force to reckon with. As far as telling the employees to get rid of their Apple products, here is my take. I realize times have changed but, It really doesn't look good in the eyes of potential buyers looking at a certain product only to see an employee of that company with a competitor's product. What message does this convey to that buyer? Back when GM was strong, GM employees enjoyed discounts that regular buyers could only dream of. This circulated the dollars back into the company. In the wireless industry, employees get discounts that none of us subscribers could come close to. Yet, reps from carriers purchase phones from other carriers. Why not enjoy these benefits and reinvest in the company that gives you these perks? Not taking advantage of these, perceives that: 1) You don't support your company. 2) You have no confidence in the company that is paying you. How much money does the company you work for lose when the employees purchase competitor's products? Doesn't this have an effect on raises and profits for the company? Anyways, if HP would allow discounts on their products for employees(which I think that will), I think this is a win win situation for both parties. Just my take. John B.

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 4:53 PM 2

18. PhoneLuver

Posts: 481; Member since: Jul 05, 2010

Great point! However, people want something different.. I still have my HTC Touch Pro2. I hardly use it anymore because my iPhone does everything I want it to! That doesn't mean I won't get a Motorolla Atrix through.. All I'm trying to say is that supporting your company is great and all, but the company doesn't own you and personal freedom of choice should be respected.

posted on Feb 02, 2011, 3:01 AM 0

15. WoodyBoy unregistered

Good for HP! They are obviously confident about their product! I hope they have a great future with this project. HP is great at marketing and as long as they drill the point home they should have no problem! Do your thing HP!

posted on Feb 01, 2011, 6:48 PM 0

19. Slammer

Posts: 1515; Member since: Jun 03, 2010

PhoneLuver said: ---"All I'm trying to say is that supporting your company is great and all, but the company doesn't own you and personal freedom of choice should be respected."--- Absolutely! The last thing anyone should do, is forfeit their freedom. My point is though in this case, is that there is a certain commitment I think employees should have for their livelihood. Granted, many individuals have their jobs just because they needed a job. But I know for a fact, that my company would think twice about my commitment and support for the company, if I went out and bought a competitor's product. They won't fire me, but it surely would effect how they look at me as a whole. Raises are NOT just based on performances. A company can see an individual has being a great worker, yet they will also, see that the same individual is either costing the company more money or the individual is not willing to make sacrifices for the company. Again, I support freedom in choice, but I think when it comes to my family, supporting the company that puts food on my table, is just as important as well as saving bucks in the process. My Father worked for Eastman Kodak. He never owned anything but a Kodak camera and so did the majority of employees. This made the company strong. Then employees started using Fuji film or competitor's products. The domino effect becomes reality. Why should others buy your company's product if you aren't willing to? While one employee may not hurt the company. A large portion that feel the need to purchase competitor's products, costs the company tons of cash. All the engineering and developing in creating products, is now given to the hands of others. I would like to garner a bet that many Verizon or other carrier employees, added quite a few numbers to ATT's iPhone sales. What did this do to the carriers they work for? Sprint is already struggling. Verizon has now been enthroned as the largest carrier. TMO has lost subscribers. All in the name of making a free choice to purchase a competitor's product. It all comes back around to the employee's jobs in the end. John B.