Channel Strategies for the CIOHP seemed off course following the TouchPad product cancellation, speculation about a PSG group a spin-off -- and it all made for prime blog fodder in September. Channel Marker blog readers also showed an interest in IBM’s latest acquisition along with Microsoft’s deal registration program launch delay and a lower PC market sales forecast.
What's next for HP: Five things to watch for
Following the series of breaking news from HP, Channel Marker blogger Barbara Darrow pointed out five specific people and HP partnerships that watchers should keep an eye on. The former so-called Podfather, Jon Rubenstein, may have an interest in resurrecting his relationship with Apple following the demise of the TouchPad and Palm legacy at HP. Spectators should also watch the cloud, specifically the Azure-based Microsoft cloud. Now that Leo Apotheker is out along with his designs on an HP-designed-and-built cloud system, Microsoft will likely want to revive its close relationship with HP.
HP overhaul continues with webOS layoffs
It seemed inevitable, but as the webOS-based TouchPad was discontinued, so were the webOS employees at HP. The company confirmed plans to lay off more than 500 webOS employees in September.
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In conjunction with the PSG changes at HP, Mike Parrottino was promoted to head up the solution partner organization within PSG for U.S. channel sales. IBM snaps up fraud detection expert i2
IBM acquired i2, a British security technology company, to beef up its security cred. i2 Ltd. software is used by 12 of the top 20 retail banks and eight of the world's 10 biggest companies in the world. Big data requires big security, and the technology from i2 is expected to aid IBM in its data analytics push. The deal was completed on October 5, just five weeks after it was announced.
Microsoft partners catch a break, new deal registration program delayed
Microsoft’s new LAR deal registration program wasn’t ready for prime-time, and its launch has been pushed back from October 1, 2011 to March 2012. Large account resellers welcomed the delay, citing the cumbersome paperwork needed to complete deal registrations. They welcome any extra time they're given, and anything to make that process better would be an improvement. The new deal registration program will measure LARs based on the number of licenses sold and on the services they provide to support Microsoft products.
PC shipment forecasts revised downward
After a slow Q2, IDC revised its 2011 PC shipment forecast slightly downward to 4.2%. The cause of slower sales appears to be in part because of the cannibalization of the market by media tablets and smartphones which sold more than 107 million and 13.5 million units, respectively in Q2. This along with the general economic malaise and speculation around the spin-off of HPs PC business contributed to uncertainty and sluggishness in the market. But IDC was optimistic about long-term projections, predicting more than 5% growth in each of the next four years.
Check out Channel Marker’s top blogs from August 2011.