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HP: Rival Printers Mean No More HPs Through Dell

blamanj writes: "Dell Computer seems to have pissed off HP, with their intent to sell their own printers. HP will apparently stop supplying printers to Dell, even though the new Dell products are not yet shipping."

218 of 354 comments (clear)

  1. Dell talks to HP by Master+Commadachi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dude, yer goin' to hell!

    1. Re:Dell talks to HP by agentmunchkin · · Score: 1

      Dude, one more reason to get a Mac!

    2. Re:Dell talks to HP by macdaddy357 · · Score: 1

      Shouldn't that be Dude, yer goin' to Dell?

      --
      How ya like dat?
  2. bad decision by Auckerman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In a truely competitive market, a company gets nowhere by not selling their product to someone else. If I were an HP stock holder, I'd be pissed.

    --

    Burn Hollywood Burn
    1. Re:bad decision by Sc00ter · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Well look at it this way.. HP Printers sell thru dell because they're part of a package deal. To buy just the printer alone from Dell is usually more expensive.

      If Dell is selling their own printers, they're going to package their printers with their systems, not HPs. So since Dell selling them standalone isn't really worth it to HP, and they're not going to be part of the package deal, they're probably not going to sell many, if any, thru Dell. So what's the point?

    2. Re:bad decision by Telecommando · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's probably not as simple as that. HP probably sells printers to Dell at a discount while selling them at full price elsewhere. Now that Dell is going to compete with them in the printer market, why would HP want to give them that discount only to have Dell undercut them on their own printers in the retail market?

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    3. Re:bad decision by Sc00ter · · Score: 2
      But why get it thru Dell when I can go go BestBuy or Circuit City and get it for way cheaper?

    4. Re:bad decision by terrymr · · Score: 3, Informative

      Warranty, customer service .....

      Dell has this weird policy of including a decent 1 year warranty as part of the package and offering extended warranties if you want them.

      Best buy offers no meaningful warranty unless you pay extra for it.

    5. Re:bad decision by jalbro · · Score: 1


      To bad any promise of any kind from Dell is dependent upon getting someone on the phone who gives a shit.

      I had to file against Dell in small claims court becuase they wouldn't admit they sent me the wrong monitor and wouldn't take it back.

      -Jeff

    6. Re:bad decision by kpgalligan · · Score: 1

      HP is like a whinny baby. We have an hp scanner at work that hasn't been used for a while. I tried to download the drivers from the site, but they only have the update drivers. I called hp and spent about 20 minutes on the phone with various people. I gave them my name and phone number at least 3 times. I finally wound up with one option: pay $10 plus shipping for the drivers, to which I said fu, I'll download them from a bootleg site in Russia, but thanks. Every time I got to a new person they said, "Welcome to the new HP". I used to like HP. My dad bought a LaserJet II years ago and still uses it. Now I can't download drivers for a scanner that's a little over a year old? The new HP sucks. They better start acting like the old HP real quick. Why the hell would they stop selling printers to Dell? It seems to me that if Dell is planning on selling their own printers, cutting off their easy supply route would be a bad option. Just ranting.

    7. Re:bad decision by glrotate · · Score: 2, Insightful

      why would HP want to give them that discount only to have Dell undercut them on their own printers in the retail market?

      You're assuming that if one can't buy the HP from dell that one will buy a HP retail.

      I don't think you can assume this. A portion of customers buying HP from dell do so because of convenience. It's simply easier to buy a printer with your order of PC's. By eliminating the option to buy a HP, they may buy a Dell or an Epson. You can't assume they were determined to buy an HP.

    8. Re:bad decision by Cheeko · · Score: 3, Informative

      According to this article from CNN, Dell's printer sales only account for 2 days worth of all of HP's printer sales for a year. So this isn't a major loss. Add to that, the fact that Dell will likely still by HP printers for some of its customer, just not directly from HP, and HP could potentially make MORE money off of Dell, depending on demand for the HP printers from Dell customers.

    9. Re:bad decision by strictnein · · Score: 4, Informative

      The warranty Best Buy and Circuit City "offer" for HP printers, is just HPs warranty. Which, if you buy at least a half-way decent printer is 12 months part/12 months labor.

      Dell has this weird policy of including a decent 1 year warranty as part of the package and offering extended warranties if you want them

      When you buy a HP/Sony/Compaq computer from Best Buy/Circuit City, it has a 1 year warranty as well, included from the manufacturer. All of the above brands include the ability of purchasing extended service contracts from the manufacturer, or, if you want, both of the stores also do as well. Same as Dell.

      People seem to have this weird idea that the store they buy from dictates how long the original manufacturers warranty is and what it should cover.

      The thing with printers it that the money to be made is in the ink cartridges and printer cables, and not the printers themselves. That's why HP's printer business is its most profitable one.

    10. Re:bad decision by Skyshadow · · Score: 1
      If I were an HP stock holder, I'd be pissed.

      I think the key word is "if". Maybe a move like this makes sense to the same sort of people who looked at the HP/Compaq thing and said "Yeah, that seems like a great idea! I'm sure this will go differently than all the other HP mergers ever, turn both companies around and put us right back on top!".

      Personally, I never trust my money to companies which are so obviously run by pointy-hairs. So, I stay away from HP, I stayed away from a lot of .coms -- the managers don't have to be a Gates or an Ellison, just so long as they're not a Belluzo or a Fiorina.

      --
      Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    11. Re:bad decision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And what qualifies you to make such a broad proclamation about the business world?

      Did you once work at a hamburger stand? Maybe you can program in C++ AND Perl?

      I consulted for a company once that wanted to just sell a bunch of their products, we'll call the widgets. They were selling widgets everywhere. In order to get some places to take them, we'll say Wal-Mart, they had to offer considerable discounts. Their smaller buyers got pissed off because Wal-Mart could sell widgets at a lower price, so they bought someone else's widgets. Wal-Mart, now being almost the only customer, had more leverage to force more discounts.

      Essentially, the widget manufacturing company screwed themselves by getting themselves in bed with someone who didn't really fit with their makret. Given the reality that these things happen often, and in thousands of different variations, and your 'truly competitve market' exists only in your head, you can shove your advice up your ass.

    12. Re:bad decision by george399 · · Score: 1
      If I were an HP stock holder, I'd be pissed.

      And if I had been a Compaq stock holder, I'd be even more pissed!

      --
      Patience is a virtue, but I don't have the time - TH
    13. Re:bad decision by Myco · · Score: 3, Insightful
      That's the weird thing about warranties. If a manufacturer/retailer/whatever offers you an optional warranty, they're perceived as trying to milk the customer for more money. Whereas if they make it mandatory, customers for some reason think they're getting something for free. Woohoo, it comes with a free warranty! Yeah, and where do you think the money comes from to pay for the costs of that warranty? It all goes into the bottom line -- you're paying for it regardless.

      Of course, one can still comparison-shop, so it is possible to get a better deal with a standard warranty included sometimes, but it's far from the free lunch that people seem to think.

    14. Re:bad decision by terrymr · · Score: 2

      yes but in order to get something serviced by best buy you have to have their (extra charge) warranty otherwise you get to play the ship it to the manufacturer game. Of course if you call the manufacturer they tell you that warranty service is available through the dealer you bought it from. hahahahahahah.

    15. Re:bad decision by RecoveredMarketroid · · Score: 2, Informative

      NOT in a 'truly competitive market', but in a market with perfect competition, with commodity products. Printers are NOT a commodity product; brand preference plays an enormous part in this marketplace. Having worked in the industry, I can tell you that HP's brand carries incredible buyer preference. Did you know that CANON commercialized laser printer technology, and to this day manufactures the engine in every HP LaserJet sold? However, despite several attempts to launch their own line of standalone printers, they have never been successful. They've been locked out of the marketplace not by technology, but by insufficient brand presence.

    16. Re:bad decision by terrymr · · Score: 2

      That was my point - dell includes the warranty in the price - best buy does not but at the same time makes rash claims like "Our technicians our trained to service any appliance that we sell" which is meaningless because they don't do work under the manufacturers warranty.

      Circuit city is marginally better but only if the store you go to remembers that many of the manufactuers warranties cover circuit city swapping the failed appliance at their store.

    17. Re:bad decision by pen · · Score: 1

      In a truly competitive market, a company has the freedom to decide not to sell its products to someone else.

    18. Re:bad decision by strictnein · · Score: 2

      yes but in order to get something serviced by best buy you have to have their (extra charge) warranty otherwise you get to play the ship it to the manufacturer game. Of course if you call the manufacturer they tell you that warranty service is available through the dealer you bought it from.

      Again, mostly wrong. Why again do people believe that retailers are responsible for servicing the products they sell? When did this belief start? Of course you have to get Best Buys/Circuit City's extended warranties for them to service it. Why else should they? Just to be nice? The manufacturer covers the computer for a year. Call them. If you want a little bit better service (and I stress the word little) get the manufacturers or stores extended service plan and they'll always take a lot better care of you (because they just made a bunch more money off of you).

      It's almost as bad as the people who think they should be able to return a product any time they want to. We have people call up all the time who want us to exchange a product they've been using for 6+ months.

      I work for the #2 electronics company (where savings used to be state of the art) selling computers (until I finish off my Comp Sci degree). When you call the manufacturer, which I have done for customers on several occasions, they never just tell you "oh, well, you should go back and buy the stores extended warranty to get this item fixed". That's just ridiculous to say something like that. As far as getting to play the "ship it to the manufacturers game". For most small repairs (video card, modem, hard drive), the manufacturer is more than happy to ship you the replacement part and have you install it yourself.

    19. Re:bad decision by strictnein · · Score: 2

      not to try and advertise and my company but Circuit City's extended warranty doesn't make you ship the monitor in.
      they just send you the replacement monitor to your house, and then you throw the broken one into the box, and it's sent back to our service centers, prepaid shipping both ways

      Of course, that's why our service plans cost more (sometimes twice as much)

      Man... me posting this kind of stuff makes me really realize that I need to quit my job...

    20. Re:bad decision by CarrotLord · · Score: 2

      Who said we have a truly competitive market? The reality is precisely the opposite -- the market is full of intreague and backstabbing. This is why business and marketing types do this stuff, and us techoes don't.

      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
    21. Re:bad decision by drix · · Score: 2

      My God. Sound economic theory being posted to Slashdot. Now I have seen it all.

      --

      I think there is a world market for maybe five personal web logs.
    22. Re:bad decision by strictnein · · Score: 2

      Did you read my post?

      I was responding mostly to the part in which he said: "Of course if you call the manufacturer they tell you that warranty service is available through the dealer you bought it from."

      And the post I reposnded to never said anything about them buying an extended warranty

    23. Re:bad decision by Telecommando · · Score: 2

      I'm not assuming anything, it's just that deals like this are common in business. HP sells printers to Dell at a discount in return for Dell offering them exclusively with their systems. Dell gets cheaper printers ("WE offer HP printers for the price of an Epson when you buy a complete system!") , HP gets new suckers ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H customers to sell ink to; everybody wins. (Except the consumer, but he doesn't count anyway. "Just give us the money and no one gets hurt.")

      I can't say for sure this is what was going on but it's not out of the ordinary.

      Now if Dell has their own printers, which they (probably) make a greater profit on, which one do you think will be pushed harder by the Dell sales people? Yup. Dell. So HP's pretty much cut out of Dell's market anyway. Why help Dell if they're going to cut you off anyway?

      I'll grant you, HP is probably just being vindictive and spiteful by this action, but that's not unusual in business either. Nor is it necessarily bad for the company. Only time will tell. If Dell sells really crappy printers it may increase HP's sales as older Dell users tell the newbies, "DUDE! You shoulda got an HP!" ;-)

      In the end you're right, it will be the consumer who decides what printer he wants. The totally uninformed will probably just buy a package deal and won't care about what brand of printer is shipped with it as long as it works. Kinda like they do with monitors, it may say DELL on the outside but what's inside? Hitachi? Sony? NoNameCo? Few people care as long as it looks good and works. I'm currently staring at a monitor marked "Hewlett Packard" but I know that they didn't make it. Who did? Who cares? Monitors have become a commodity item, interchangable and easily replaced. Printers should be as well, but it may take a few more years for this to happen and the printer manufacturers are fighting it hard as they try to hold on to the profitable ink market.

      Wouldn't it be nice if you could just go buy a printer, any printer, and some bottles of ink, any ink, fill up the ink resevoirs and start printing? Kinda like we do now with floppy disks, paper, blank cds and other computer consumables. Proprietary products suck.

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    24. Re:bad decision by terrymr · · Score: 2

      Why again do people believe that retailers are responsible for servicing the products they sell? When did this belief start?

      1) Probably from the uniform commercial code - see the section on implied warranties - which are enforceable against the seller unless EXPLICITY disclaimed (in writing) at the point of sale.

      2) Because many authorised dealers for products are also authorised service centers for the same products (and therefore do warranty work) and therefore it's logical to go back to the place you bought it.

      In the case of best buys claims to be authorized to service the items they sell it is once again logical that repairs under the manufacturers warranty would be available there. Alas it seems they are authorised by none other than themselves and have no status as far as the manufacturers are concerned.

    25. Re:bad decision by jratcliffe · · Score: 1

      Best buy offers no meaningful warranty unless you pay extra for it.

      Of course, that's how they make their money. I remember plowing through the finances of Circuit City about three years ago, and it turns out that the appliance/stereo/computer retailing business is basically break-even (CDs are sold as a loss leader to get people into the stores) - the money is actually made on the extended warranties.

      I don't remember the exact numbers, but the product margins were something like 5%, but the warranty margins were upwards of 85%. Basically, if it doesn't break in the first 90 days-1 year, it's unlikely to break in the next two or three years, and if it does, a sizable portion of people will either lose the extended warranty info, or forget that they bought one in the first place.

    26. Re:bad decision by festers · · Score: 1

      Almost right. If the manufacturer is offering the extended warranty, then yes it's coming out of the bottom line so what's the difference. But if it's the retail store offering the warranty, you are getting soaked big time. Working for a large reseller, I know the margins on these warranties are ~80%, and the sales reps are told to push these hard: they make up any lost money selling an "extended" warranty.

      --


      -------
      "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief."
    27. Re:bad decision by jat2 · · Score: 1
      A "truly competitive" market is a market in equilibrium. In such a situation, everybody has to sell their competing "equivalent" products for the same price. There is no profit. The mere existence of a profit means a market has not equilibriated.

      When a market does reach equilibrium, the market shares for each participating company stabilizes. Thus, you won't care if Dell sells HPs or only Dells because your market share will remain the same.

      Furthermore, the stocks of the companies transition from growth stocks (little or no dividend but growth in stock price) to value stocks (only dividends because due to competition there is no more room to grow) as the market matures (i.e., becomes truly competitive).

      Now back to reality. This is not a mature market. By refusing to supply Dell with HP printers in the short term, Dell's initial market share of the printer market may be considerably smaller than if HP allowed them to make a smooth transition. As the market becomes competitive, HP will have a larger market share and thus will be able to leverage economies of scale to obtain a larger profit than its competitors. Furthermore, it will preserve a greater market share when equilibrium is reached, thus locking in greater dividends to its stock holders as the market matures.

      Bottom line, this is a very good business decision. The stockholders should be pleased.

    28. Re:bad decision by Myco · · Score: 2
      Oh, naturally. Those extended warranties are a rip-off. I inherited a wise policy from my father -- if you can afford to replace it or fix it yourself, don't buy a warranty or insurance for it unless you have no choice. Because you always lose to that margin.

      I was simply pointing out that while everyone knows (or should know) what a rip-off extended warranties are, they fail to apply the same reasoning when the warranty is mandatory.

    29. Re:bad decision by dio5 · · Score: 1

      Well as a former warranty sales company rep for a large chain which I won't mention. They do milk you for money. This particular retailer sold a 1 year carry-in printer warranty when you bought this printer cable/paper pack for $50... one little problem.... HP printers have 3 services levels. Authorized Repair Shops such as CompUSA or some Circuit City's can only do Level 1... (change the cartridge and general cleaning) Level 2 and 3 must be sent to the HP service center in Oregon and guess who gets to pay $60 for shipping... the customer... well the damn thing was already under warranty and the store just ripped you of $20-30 for their crappy warranty which they can't perform.
      Not to mention they give you a crappy single shielded printer cable to boot.

  3. Absolutely crazy by colmore · · Score: 2

    I hate this sort of thing. Corporations refusing to sell their products as an anti-competitive tactic. It's a textbook microsoft move.

    I'm wondering, how common is this outside of the computer industry?

    --
    In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    1. Re:Absolutely crazy by crawling_chaos · · Score: 2
      I agree. I want to be able to buy a Toyota at my local Ford dealer, dammit!

      In other words, it's extremely common outside of the computer industry.

      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    2. Re:Absolutely crazy by Schnapple · · Score: 1
      I know it's only kinda sorta out of the computer industry (and headed the other way) but when GamePro announced they were going to open up their own line of game stores (primarily in shopping malls), Babbage's Etc. (Babbage's, Software, Etc., GameStop.com) stopped carrying their magazine. Of course this was a few years back and since GamePro is still/back in Babbage's and I've never heard of a GamePro store, either the stores never happened or Babbage's, Etc. backed down.

      It makes a little less sense in this HP/Dell story but the idea of "don't help your competitor" is not a new one or an uncommon one.

    3. Re:Absolutely crazy by liquidsin · · Score: 2

      In order for this to be anti-competitive, HP would have to have a monopoly on printers. It's no more anti-competitive than if they decided not to have Radio Shack carry their products. There are so many other printer manufacturers out there that HP will probably only hurt itself. Given the choice of selling a thousand units to Dell for $50 less than you sell them elsewhere, but still making money on them, versus not selling that thousand units at all, I know which *I* would choose.

      --
      do not read this line twice.
    4. Re:Absolutely crazy by FortKnox · · Score: 2

      Corporations refusing to sell their products as an anti-competitive tactic. It's a textbook microsoft move.

      I'm assuming by "Microsoft move" you mean monopolistic move. If HP tells ALL computer retailers "we won't sell you our printers to sell if you have dell printers", then, sure, its a monopolistic move.

      However, Dell, (getting the HP printers at an extreme discount, due to a package deal and partnership) is trying to make a higher profit by taking advantage of a business partnership. If your partner tried to swindel you will you say, "Welp, ya got me! I don't want to act anti-competitive", or will you say, "Screw you, hippy! If you try that crap, I'm out!"??

      --
      Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
    5. Re:Absolutely crazy by haa...jesus+christ · · Score: 1

      It's basic business. It happens everywhere.

    6. Re:Absolutely crazy by AFaus · · Score: 1

      There is a new regulation comming in Europe that is going to do exactly this: allowing you to buy any car brand in any dealer. -angel

    7. Re:Absolutely crazy by thunderbee · · Score: 1

      It's not coming - it's there

      --
      In my opinion, Scientology is a cult you should avoid.
    8. Re:Absolutely crazy by SirRichardPumpaloaf · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure this is the first time Michael Dell has ever been called a "hippy". :-) What does that make Ted Waitt?

  4. Ooooh. by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 1

    Poor HP is pouting, now.

  5. Smart Move. by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're only giving a long-term leg-up to your competition by allowing them to smoothly and easily transition to their own product line by continuing to sell them yours. You're giving up a short-term gain for a bit of long-term hurt. Exactly what I would have done.

    This whole 'coopetition' thing is just like Microsoft tries to get competitors to do. "Let us use your product and embrace it until we're ready to demolish it."

    1. Re:Smart Move. by ocbwilg · · Score: 2

      You're only giving a long-term leg-up to your competition by allowing them to smoothly and easily transition to their own product line by continuing to sell them yours. You're giving up a short-term gain for a bit of long-term hurt. Exactly what I would have done.

      Except that now Dell is going to continue selling HP printers obtained through distributors instead of HP directly. It seems to me that HP is missing out on the chance to make a little more money out of the deal (depending on what prices they sell at vs distributors cost).

    2. Re:Smart Move. by Brian_Ellenberger · · Score: 2

      I have no love for HP. They sell their ink cartridges for *way* too much and then put a bunch of anti-ink refilling technologies into their printers so that it is not worth the trouble of trying to refill them yourself.

      If Dell undersells HP on the ink by a large amount, HP is going to be in trouble. And they can do it too. Unlike HP, Dell doesn't need to rely on ink for 1/2 of its profits.

      Brian Ellenberger

    3. Re:Smart Move. by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 2

      But Dell loses its status as a partner or direct distributor. (Which affects things such as support and back-line engineering contacts, and sweet-deal contracts.) Chances are HP isn't losing much of anything (if at all) by selling to another distributor.

    4. Re:Smart Move. by Kraegar · · Score: 2
      Wait, I thought we were mad at Microsoft for saying you can't run competing products on their OS? (ie. XDM on XP, GPL code on DRM machines)

      So now we're mad at them for letting us run competing products until they can integrate something of their own then make us switch (demolish it, as you say)?

      HP had a choice here - continue to let Dell offer their printers and keep getting revenue, or stop selling to Dell immediately in order to show their position on Dell offering their own printers.

      Dell is offering the printers either way, HP withdrawing their line only cost them a customer. If HP were confident its printers truly were better it would not fear Dell's customers opting for a Dell printer over theirs.

    5. Re:Smart Move. by Vengie · · Score: 2

      Analysts have said Dell could aim to take a piece of the lucrative market for printer supplies or simply launch a price war in a bid to destabilize the most profitable unit of HP, which became the No. 1 PC seller by buying Compaq in May.

      "Dell is trying to take a shot at HP's core business," said Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff.


      Dell is taking a potshot at HPQ -- Dell is already beating compaq...but now that COMPAQ/HP are one, they can try to leverage their dominance in the PC market to reduce HP's profitability in printers.

      Hello, where have we seen the "leverage dominance in one area" .....yeah....microsoft.

      All you trolls blasting HP -- read the freaking article first.

      This is HP's response to dell's effort to become a horizontal monopoly. (Maybe dell's a bit jealous of hpq's computer/printer dominance? ironic considering dell was beating both hp and compaq......)

      --
      When in doubt, parenthesize. At the very least it will let some poor schmuck bounce on the % key in vi. (Larry Wall)
    6. Re:Smart Move. by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 1

      Hell, I'm on your side. If someone can get into the printer business and not rape us with the massively inflated ink costs, I'd vote for them with my cash. (But is that what Dell is trying to do, or what?)

    7. Re:Smart Move. by snookerdoodle · · Score: 1

      I agree - others have asserted that HP is being the "Microsoft" here, but Dell is certainly the one fitting the pattern.

      I've bought about a zillion Dells. 'Never bought a printer from them (just about everyone else beats their prices for me). I don't think HP is all that worried about loss of sales from Dell in the short term.

      Mark

    8. Re:Smart Move. by haa...jesus+christ · · Score: 1

      You're of course assuming that Dell would continue to offer HP printers. But I didn't read the article, so maybe it says as much. Anyway, this isn't about printers exclusively- this is about two organizations that are quickly becoming direct competitors on more than the desktop/server/enteprise markets. I think it makes competitive sense for HP, as they'll probably sell to Dell through another distributor, as someone mentioned higher up the thread.

  6. Go, Dell! by Quantum+Singularity · · Score: 1

    Dell really should go ahead with their own line of printers. They're obviously the best in the computer market, and they can be awesome with printers, too.

    1. Re:Go, Dell! by echucker · · Score: 1

      I'd consider buying a Dell over an HP if they could make better drivers. I've been fighting a LaserJet 4050 and a DesignJet2 since I walked in the door at my current job. Each of them has known, well-documented issues that have never been corrected.

    2. Re:Go, Dell! by King_TJ · · Score: 2

      Eh.... more competition is always beneficial to the consumer, if nothing else. Therefore, sure - I encourage Dell to go for it.

      Honestly though, I don't forsee Dell really building their own printer, the way they do their desktop PCs. I have a strong suspicion they're just going to re-label printers sold by another manufacturer. (Lexmark's failure to comment at all on the situation makes one wonder if they were at least approached by Dell about supplying printers for them.)

      In fact, this is probably the main reason HP was so angered by the move. They probably realize that it's a thinly veiled way of Dell telling them "We'd rather sell your competition's product as our primary printer than keep offering yours." (Maybe they already tried to get HP to allow them to put Dell labeling on their printers, and HP refused?)

  7. Dell, Why? by scott1853 · · Score: 2

    I thought the money was in printer cartridges not the actual printers themselves. Besides, to make money Dell would need to sell their products at retail locations which are already covered pretty well with HPs. They wouldn't be able to make enough money just selling to their own customers.

    1. Re:Dell, Why? by seanmeister · · Score: 2

      to make money Dell would need to sell their products at retail locations which are already covered pretty well with HPs

      Dell seems to do just fine selling their products online and mail order. If they bundle their own printers instead of HP printers, why would they need to sell them at retail outlets?

    2. Re:Dell, Why? by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 1
      I thought the money was in printer cartridges not the actual printers themselves.
      Lemme guess. The DELL printers are not going to use HP cartridges...

      (A lot of "secondary" printer manufacturers use CANON print mechanisms/cartridges)

    3. Re:Dell, Why? by scott1853 · · Score: 2

      HP can sell them at a certain price based on the volume they sell. Dell is not 90% of HP's market, HP has their printers at every retail outlet that sells anything computer related. If Dell plans on manufacturing printers simply for bundling they'll need to charge twice as much as an HP printer unless their plan is to lose money per unit.

      Also, the cartridges are the lucritive items and I can't see a large number of people wanting to pay $20 for shipping on top of $35 per cartridge. So it would be even more important for the cartridges for Dells printers to be in retail outlets, but it's almost as important to sell the printers retail too.

    4. Re:Dell, Why? by Dthoma · · Score: 1
      "I thought the money was in printer cartridges not the actual printers themselves"

      Well, let's see...

      Printer: Comes free with computer.

      Ink cartridges: £25 each, must replace both of them every couple of months.

      Yeah, I can't say I disagree with that.

      --

      Note to M1-ers: a curt but otherwise insightful message is not "Flamebait" or "Troll".

    5. Re:Dell, Why? by serbanp · · Score: 1
      Dell seems to do just fine selling their products online and mail order. If they bundle their own printers instead of HP printers, why would they need to sell them at retail outlets?

      The products Dell is currently offering are a one-time sell. Yes, the printers are bundled with the peecee; however I don't think that everyone will like to have to go online to buy ink carts. Thus the need of retail stores for consumables.

      As a side note, I'm pretty much certain that the overhead costs (stocking etc.) to gain ratio is much smaller for consumables than for a peecee (i.o.w. their profit margin will be diluted by selling consumables).

  8. Why does this matter? by SoftwareJanitor · · Score: 2

    Even if I was buying a Dell computer, why would I care? What advantage is there to buying a printer from the same place you order your computer from? Has Dell been selling HP printers less than what I could buy from any other mail order outlet? Less than what I could buy the same HP printer from Fry's (or wherever)?

    1. Re:Why does this matter? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

      > What advantage is there to buying a printer from the same place you order your computer from?
      In a word, convenience. Almost everyone I know who isn't "in" the industry who has bought a computer has bought a printer from the same source. They have a warm fuzzy feeling that since they came from the same source, they'll be compatible. And the vast majority of the computer-buying public isn't "in" the industry.
      When you look at corporate customers, then there's an even bigger tendancy to buying everything from a single source ("preferred supplier"), since it's easier to deal with from an bookkeeping/admin point of view and there's only one place to go when things go wrong. If you buy your computer and printer from the same source, there's nobody else for them to to blame any incompatibility on.

      > Has Dell been selling HP printers less than what I could buy from any other mail order outlet?
      I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to take a bet that if you buy a computer and printer at the same time from Dell, you'd pay less that if you purchased them seperatly.

      > Less than what I could buy the same HP printer from Fry's (or wherever)?
      I don't know about Frys (I don't know of one I could reach today from here), but I'd be surprised if Dell couldn't beat a retail store for price. Mail order/phone order/internet is inherently less expensive for the vendor than retail, since the overheads are much lower (and the bigger the area you cover, the bigger the saving).

      --
      Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  9. PC Competition by EvilBudMan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That is because with HP's purchase of Compaq, they are in direct competition with Dell with the PC. Now I wonder who will be next. HP is just shooting itslef on this one. Do they really want Dell to get pissed at them and start making inkjet printers with cheaper ink?

    1. Re:PC Competition by hajibaba · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Err... wasn't HP already in direct competition with Dell before they bought Compaq?

    2. Re:PC Competition by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      Yes and No. They couldn't really afford to do this before the merger. Now that the combined companies now move them to the number one spot, HP thinks it can afford to do this. Compaq's and HP's will come with genuine HP printers, but anyone else will have to pay a higher price.

      I think this will benifit HP in the short term but not in the long term, especially if Dell can make a decent printer.

    3. Re:PC Competition by arglesnaf · · Score: 1

      Umm, the article states that HP did this because Dell is getting into the printer market.

    4. Re:PC Competition by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      How would that reason alone help them sell more printers? It would help them sell more computers though.

    5. Re:PC Competition by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2

      Didn't HP have the Pavillion that competed against Dell?

      HP's computers, like the rest of their hardware, was built to a higher (and more expensive) standard, hardware-reliability wise. (I haven't opened mine to check, but HP's traditional approach to printed circuit boards is to plate the ENTIRE BOARD with gold, not just the contacts, for better corrosion resistance, extended life, and improved electrical stability.)

      They inherited this approach from their history as a maker of high-end test equipment and factory automation.

      This tends to make their stuff a bit pricey for the home market that Dell caters to. And downgrading it to go after consumers risks losing their niche in industry.

      --
      Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
    6. Re:PC Competition by lucifuge31337 · · Score: 1

      I haven't opened mine to check, but HP's traditional approach to printed circuit boards is to plate the ENTIRE BOARD with gold, not just the contacts, for better corrosion resistance, extended life, and improved electrical stability.

      What? Where did you get this one from?

      As a former repair tech (back in the end-of-life days of the LJ III's, to the heyday of the 5 series) I can guarantee you that that is simply not true. I've seen VERY FEW gold plated contacts on HP printers, including the monstrous si models, which would be the logical ones to get that kind of treatment.

      Don't know where you got your information, but it's pretty much just wrong.

      Oh yeah...I think I saw gold-plated contacts on ink cartridge headers on most of their POS ink-jets (the one they won't even send repair parts to authorized warranty centers for because they are of such poor quality....depot repair only).

      --
      Do not fold, spindle or mutilate.
    7. Re:PC Competition by hajibaba · · Score: 1

      Point well taken. Now the question is who will make the Dell printers? I assume they wouldn't start completely from scratch...

    8. Re:PC Competition by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      Lexmark is everyones guess, but I'm pulling for epson. They would jump at the chance to gain market share over HP. The dark horse is that Dell itself has something ready or they wouldn't have told the world (i.e. HP, Epson) their plans. Dell does play hard ball. Maybe they have some secret deal hatched in India to make printers for half of what everone else pays. Just a thought but it is very competitve in the PC buisness.

  10. Once again...... The HP Way...... by Sesq · · Score: 1

    R.I.P.

  11. Lexmark by Quantum+Singularity · · Score: 1

    I really hope they have Lexmark make their printers. IMHO, their quality is unsurpassed.

    1. Re:Lexmark by Ark42 · · Score: 1

      Im assuming you forgot the tags around that statement.

      Lexmark makes the most unreliable printers I have ever seen, from big office printers to little home printers, they are all the same: Jam frequently, low quality output. And the network ones cant even seem to stay online for a single day. DHCP is hopeless, and even if you go assign a static IP on the things, they still become unavailable on the network for no apparent reason.

    2. Re:Lexmark by Ark42 · · Score: 1

      Slashdot ate my

      Im assuming you forgot the <sarcasm> tags around that statement.

    3. Re:Lexmark by trash+eighty · · Score: 1

      my lexmark ain't bad, had no problems with it at all. its been used fairly intensively for over a year now.

  12. Proposterous! by L.+VeGas · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh right! Dell's going to make printers. That makes as much sense as HP making computers.

    wait a second....

  13. Well.... by YahoKa · · Score: 1

    HP must have be confident that they can do well with their own sales.

    1. Re:Well.... by Zephy · · Score: 1

      That .5% is still quite a lot of money.. admittedly it is relatively small, but i'll wager it's paying for a few people's wages.

  14. Stupid Management by N8F8 · · Score: 2, Troll
    Looks like one bad decision after the next. First that moronic Compaq-HP merger and then this. Horrible to see a great company brought down by stupid mangement.

    Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. Click the link to tell her what you think.

    --
    "God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
    1. Re:Stupid Management by brsmith4 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Slightly offtopic, from the link in the parent post: Has anyone noticed this or is it just me; HP has a very large amount of women in upper management for a corporate entity. I think its pretty interesting to see a woman as a Chairman and CEO of a company so large. Could This whole problem be because management is just at 'that time of the month'?

    2. Re:Stupid Management by af_robot · · Score: 1, Troll

      Click the link to tell her what you think.

      Here is it:
      Dear Fiorina! We love you so much! We think that your idea to rip-off Dell was brilliant!
      Please visit our lovely fan page, there we are trying to express our feeling to you...

      xxx,
      slashdot fans

    3. Re:Stupid Management by brsmith4 · · Score: 1

      Even I agree with one of the moderators that my own post is just total flamebait. The comment about women and their time of the month was pretty tasteless, nonetheless, slightly humorous, maybe?

    4. Re:Stupid Management by Zordak · · Score: 2

      Carly's "time of the month" has lasted for years then. I can assure you that the venerable Bill Hewlett and David Packard are turning over in their graves right now over what she's done to their company. HP used to be a hallmark of quality, especially in the instrumentation field (which is what they started making in their garage to begin with). I have a much harder time associating the rock-solid HP image with instruments that say "Agilent" on the front (come on, people, that's not even a word!!!). Plus, she shut down the Australian calculator research division, which was the other sector where they were the very top quality supplier. Yes, you can still buy HP calculators, but who knows for how long, and future innovation has been shut down completely. So, basically, HP has castrated itself (pun intended) by slicing off the two most solid and respected sectors of its business and has degenerated into merely a supplier of a mediocre product in a highly competitive and volatile market. I swear it's like Carly Fiorina gave the whole company a sex change (and as burly as she is, and with a name like Carlton, I have to wonder if this is something she has personal experience in). Now, instead of being the supplier of big, bad, solid manly instrumentation, they make cute little computers in pretty cases that you buy for your mother. Now excuse me while I continue hoarding calculators.

      --

      Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
  15. Antitrust? by pheph · · Score: 2

    With the (somewhat) recent prosecution of Microsoft, I read up (somewhat) on Anti-trust laws, and this seems to be text book. "Hewlett-Packard Co. , the No. 1 printer and personal computer maker" stops selling printers to Dell because of a completely unrelated business venture (Dell making printers), in hopes to keep their 'monopoly' on printers. Could someone explain how this isn't antitrust?

    1. Re:Antitrust? by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 1

      I'd hardly call it an antitrust issue. There are plenty of manufacturers of printers and they all work with your computer without problems. The only way there could be an antitrust concern is if HP somehow bought out all of the ink manufacturers or was in a position to dictate ink pricing in a way that would harm competitors.

    2. Re:Antitrust? by echucker · · Score: 1

      #1 monopoly.

    3. Re:Antitrust? by Wanker · · Score: 2
      Could someone explain how this isn't antitrust?
      Probably because even though HP is the leading printer manufacturer, they do not have a monopoly. This is actually more common than an industry forming a monopoly. Monopolies form best when there are significant costs associated with leaving one supplier/manufacturer/company and choosing another.

      I would argue that it would be exceedingly difficult to have a monopoly on a peripheral like printers. There is no barrier to exit given the modular nature of printing in all major (and most minor) OSes. How hard is it to change printers? Install printer. Install driver. Done.

      There are no applications which will cease to work, so there's no need to purchase or install new apps in order to exit from your old printer. The driver install only takes a couple minutes, so the time involved doesn't form a significant barrier to leaving your current printer. Contrast this with changing OS and you'll see why there can easily be a monopoly on an operating system vs. peripherals.
    4. Re:Antitrust? by ShavenYak · · Score: 2

      HP doesn't have anything remotely resembling a monopoly on printers. Just being No. 1 in a market doesn't make a company a monopoly. I can't find any numbers on the 'net that aren't part of an expensive report, but I can assure you that HP's market share in printers is far less than Microsoft's market share in operating systems.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    5. Re:Antitrust? by pheph · · Score: 2

      I suppose I've always envisioned a monopoly not just technically, but from a consumer standpoint of familiarity. This just strikes me as odd:
      Dell has a division making computers
      Dell has a division making printers

      Because Dell has decided to make printers, the division making computers no longer has the ability to purchase HP printers. But, since HP does not have a monopoly on this commodity hardware, they can discriminate against companies that have divisions that compete with theirs? Sounds legal, but it sounds strange at the same time...

  16. well, this sums it up by rhadamanthus · · Score: 2
    "Dell spokesman Mike Maher said his company would still sell HP branded printers that it purchases through distributors, but expressed dismay at HP's decision. "Frankly we're surprised that a company would make it harder for customers to get their hands on their products," he said. "

    I'm not.

    Since when have these companies really cared about their customers, rather than their egos?

    Sorry to be so cynical, but this is just all too common and pathetic.

    -----rhad

    --
    Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
    1. Re:well, this sums it up by Myco · · Score: 2

      As opposed to, say, making money? That is the point of the whole exercise, you know.

    2. Re:well, this sums it up by rhadamanthus · · Score: 2
      Oh good grief.

      RANT ON

      People on slashdot seem to fall into two lines of thought:

      1) That all corporations are eveil and hideous unless they are basically so nice and "genuine" that they go out of business.

      2) That all corporations exist to make money regardless of means or methodology

      Worst of all, is that neither side seems to fathom that a combination of the two is the answer. Anyhow, for the purpose of clarification, I am cynical to HP in this case because not making their printer's available to Dell does not help their business OR help the consumer. It, like their merger with compaq, is little more than a desperate attempt by the upper exec's to pad their ego and make it look like their doing something. So, to my responder-person, yes a corporation needs to make money as well as please their customers. Neither of which HP is accomplishing here.

      RANT OFF

      What is truly disheartening is that no one at HP seems to grasp that an ideology of "let's stop selling our products to a group of people, because X distributor is perhaps thinking of producing a competing product." is not good business! Now instead of a possible choice for Dell customer's between HP or Dell printers (I don't know, maybe Dell wouldn't offer them at all?) they are only offered Dell. Well congrats HP. Instead of making a few more sales, you've further demonstrated that your executives don't understand the aformentioned "lesson" of business, that the same executives are egotistical and overpaid (a frightening combination), and that your customer's are again going to feel isolated and confused.

      -----rhad

      --
      Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
  17. Oh well. by ultima · · Score: 2, Funny

    And in other news, Microsoft refuses to sell Windows to Dell as long as they are selling computers with Linux pre-loaded.

    HP, uncreative as always, goodbye!

    1. Re:Oh well. by nesthigh · · Score: 1

      Dell can just go over to OfficeMax/Staples and buy a copy of the latest windows just like everybody else.. er.. wait..

  18. Re:Screw HP by tomhudson · · Score: 1
    I know what you mean. We've been boycotting HP at the office. We now look at oki, lexmark, epson first.

    It does seem to be an image thing.

  19. Re:This is called good business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Dell sells an incredible number of PCs.
    People that buy a Dell would probably continue to
    buy HP printers because its a known quantity.
    Until people stop buying HP printers from dell it
    would be wise for HP to continue selling their printers
    through Dell.

  20. Re:How could they do it? by Zephy · · Score: 1

    Well, the thing is that they probably weren't paying list price (or anywhere near it) for the printers, as they were probably buying in serious bulk for them, and having a "partnership" would get them more discounts.. all this amounts to i guess is "no more discounts for dell"

  21. prisoner's dilemma by Knytefall · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This seems actually to be a very good prisoner's dilemma-style situation. And in this case, they both chose to screw each other. If you are familiar with prisoner's dilemma, you know that this is the worst possible option.

    I think this is very bizarre... especially since it's really Dell that has the advantage since they possess the customer relationships (the most valuable asset). It seems that it would have been better for HP to hold off a bit and use the time to transition Dell's customers away from HP.

    1. Re:prisoner's dilemma by bastard01 · · Score: 1

      although the thing about the prisoner's dilemma is that no matterwhat, if one person decides to screw someone else, it will automatically lead to everyone screwing each other. This is also a reason why apple probably won't go over to x86 more than likely. Because if microsoft loses any usershare from pc users going over to MacOS, then they would pull their mac support extremely quickly. Although I would disagree with you as to Dell having the advantage of this situation, I would say that hp has it more than dell does, because they have a large user base, being that they have made printers for a long time. You just have to think about it this way, who sells more computers, Dell, or everyone but Dell, I mean because Dell will not even earn money on selling their own printers, and, I would by far rather get a printer from HP than Dell, because when I think of the Dell brand, I am reminded of the quality of their computers, which is not too great in my opinion.

    2. Re:prisoner's dilemma by zoombat · · Score: 2
      I think this is very bizarre... especially since it's really Dell that has the advantage since they possess the customer relationships (the most valuable asset). It seems that it would have been better for HP to hold off a bit and use the time to transition Dell's customers away from HP.

      Except that according to the article, Dell's customer relationships so far only produce "about two days' worth of HP annual printer sales", or about 0.5%.

      And how the heck does helping Dell transition it's customers away from HP's products help HP??

    3. Re:prisoner's dilemma by topham · · Score: 2

      2 days worth of HP printer sales? Thats a hell of a lot of printers.

      I would bet thats at the high end of the scale with the majority of companies being less than a single afternoons worth.

  22. HP Dumb-Ass Decision by daemous · · Score: 1

    HP printers are gold. Who doesn't have one? Dell's printers would have been low-end cheap hassles and Dell would have had no motivation to keep them around without investing heavily into them.

    Now HP is forcing to make Dell into a real printer competitor. Like HP needs more competition. Sheesh. Dell will now invest time and money into building a business to burn HP. That effort won't cripple Dell's core business which is stomping HP.

    1. Re:HP Dumb-Ass Decision by mla_anderson · · Score: 1
      HP Printers are crap, I do have one, it's in the closet. The printer on my desk is a Canon...it just works and Canon has their own Linux drivers.

      At work we put our HP lasers in the junk heap and moved to Xerox. We have much fewer problems now.

      --
      Sig is on vacation
  23. Re:How could they do it? by mattyohe · · Score: 1

    Ofcourse dell could buy them, but only at retail price.

    --
    - what is the definition of simultanagnosia?! I've been meaning to look it up!
  24. HP's stragey by papasui · · Score: 3, Informative

    I know everyone is saying this is a bad move for HP and it very well may be but I think I see what they are doing. If Dell intends to produce their own printers why would they continue to purchase HP priinters in the future when it obviously will end up being far cheaper for them to manufactor and package their own. HP is trying to cut them off before they can do this and hurt them in computer sales when they won't be able to package anymore HP printers while going on with this. One of two things will happen, either Dell will get suckered into a big fat increase on HP printers or they will have to go with another manufactor. Either way its not that bad for HP because they can focus on supplying other vendors, theirselves included or they will get some additional revenue while hurting Dell. Business as usual.

  25. Why would Dell want to sell their own printers? by origin2k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The article states that printers are sold at a loss and that most consumers prefer to buy their ink cartridges at local retail stores (the profit maker). Because HP has presence in the retail arena this makes sense. However, Dell must believe that customers are willing to purchase supplies online for Dell branded printers, even knowing that most consumers prefer to do retail.

    I don't know about everyone else, but I don't buy ink cartridges until I need them and when I do I run down to the store and pick one up because they are so freaking expensive. Unless you are monitoring your ink, you can't predict when you will need to order another one online and wait 3-5 days to get it.

    As for HP cutting off sales to Dell? Seems par for the course for a company that hasn't made very many good decisions lately.

    1. Re:Why would Dell want to sell their own printers? by Enry · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This forces you to keep a stock of ink on hand in case you run out. So odds are you'll have at least one extra ink cartridge when you decide to toss the old printer in favor of a new one. Guess what? You've just bought something you're not going to use!

      It's the same idea as debit cards (not the ones linked to your bank account, but like "Disney Dollars" or "D&B cards"). Odds are that you will never extingush the amount on those cards, and just get rid of it while it still has some "value" to it. After 60 days or whatever of non-use, the card expires, and the company gets that value. It's not much, but over thousands of customers, it adds up nicely. (Yes, you can replenish some of these cards, but the idea is still the same).

    2. Re:Why would Dell want to sell their own printers? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      Or...

      If you do use all of the value on the card you are probably going to end up spending more than you intended. Iguess this could apply to ink too.

    3. Re:Why would Dell want to sell their own printers? by zoombat · · Score: 2
      This forces you to keep a stock of ink on hand in case you run out. So odds are you'll have at least one extra ink cartridge when you decide to toss the old printer in favor of a new one. Guess what? You've just bought something you're not going to use! It's the same idea as debit cards (not the ones linked to your bank account, but like "Disney Dollars" or "D&B cards"). Odds are that you will never extingush the amount on those cards, and just get rid of it while it still has some "value" to it. After 60 days or whatever of non-use, the card expires, and the company gets that value. It's not much, but over thousands of customers, it adds up nicely. (Yes, you can replenish some of these cards, but the idea is still the same).

      I just got through trying to crack some riddles, so my brain is rather toasted, but this situation is not QUITE like the prepay debit cards.. because although Dell gets you to buy something you wouldn't otherwise buy, and therefore makes some profit they wouldn't otherwise make, they actually have to give you the cartridge, so their profits aren't so substantial.

      With the prepay card people, they take your money and don't give you anything unless you *use* the card.. which they assume most people won't do entirely.

      But, I suppose you're right for the end user: it sucks both way, and unless you can purchase something much cheaper through an inconvenient avenue (online in this case), then it doesn't make sense to purchase that way. If you *can* get it cheaper, then if you save $10 on each $40 cartridge, and use 20 cartridges over the life of the printer, but have 2 cartridges left when you heave it into the dumpster, you still saved a boat-load of money... even though you accidentaly allowed the seller to profit unnecessarily on the last two cartridges.

      But anyway, it seems like printer makers always either sell really expensive printers with cheap cartridges, or (more often now) sell extrodinarily cheapo printers and expensive cartridges. (In fact I often see Lexmark, Dell's possible partner in this, seems to be selling their Z-series at incredibly low prices..) That way, I guess they probably get themselves in the market (even at a loss) looking really inexpensive.. but then make a ton of money on cartridges. Can they REALLY cost $40 to make, market, and sell??

    4. Re:Why would Dell want to sell their own printers? by will_die · · Score: 1

      I am expecting that Dell will throw in one of thier printers with every home purchase.
      Then just write the software so that when you start running low you get a message to call Dell and order new ink.
      Most people will do this, after all they got a free printer so why purchase a new one.
      From Dell standpoint it is smart they get in the profitable ink sale market, and get someone else to advertise why you should buy from them "A free printer with each purchase."

  26. Epson by Quantum+Singularity · · Score: 1

    Epson also is pretty good. And it has good software to go along with it, too. I use a Lexmark Z31 and an Epson C60 and they both work great.

  27. Re:How could they do it? by ShavenYak · · Score: 2

    Bullpoop. No company, monopoly or not, can be required to do business with anyone. Besides, HP is not a monopoly, so even if there is some bizarro antitrust law I'm unaware of that forces monopolies to sell their products to competitors for resale, it wouldn't apply to HP.

    --

    Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  28. Fiorina by Skyshadow · · Score: 3, Informative
    I couldn't agree more on Fiorina. She's following the path of a typical bad CEO: making deals that don't make a lot of sense, merging with a declining computer maker, etc -- all towards the end of "doing something" to justify her options and salary and at the expense of the little people and the HP corporate culture.

    Living in the Bay Area, I find the main trouble I see is that any attack on Fiorina's ideas or methods is immediately interpreted in some quarters as an attack against women in important roles (like CEO). Granted, some people do make things a gender issue ("that stupid bitch", etc), but it's frustrating to be grouped in with them when you try to make reasonable points. It's gotten to the point where I group her with politics and religion as things to avoid in friendly conversation.

    No matter, though; I've sold my HP stock and I don't work there, so maybe my company will see a rise in business while HP starts to toss theirs. Still, it's always sad to see a company sunk by its PHBs.

    PS: I think renaming the Compaq Center the "HP Pavillion" is probably the tackiest thing I've every heard. Fortunately, for the locals who care it'll always be the Shark Tank.

    --
    Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    1. Re:Fiorina by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 1
      Still, it's always sad to see a company sunk by its PHBs.
      What do you think PHBs are for?
    2. Re:Fiorina by jafac · · Score: 2

      Granted, some people do make things a gender issue ("that stupid bitch", etc),

      heh, usually when I use that term, I'm talking about Bill Gates.

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    3. Re:Fiorina by Skyshadow · · Score: 2
      The Compaq Center I'm talking about is the San Jose Arena. It's where the SJ Sharks (NHL) play.

      Actually, I heard a NPR host suggest it be renamed the Fiorina Arena, which I was greatly amused by.

      --
      Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    4. Re:Fiorina by madcowherd · · Score: 1

      As a native Houstonian who lives right by The Compaq Center (Always will be The Summit), i thought you were on crack, until i did a google.

      Just how many venues got named Compaq Center?

      What's really funny, all the hundred or so signs pointing to the Compaq Center were painted "Compac Center".

  29. Re:How could they do it? by ocbwilg · · Score: 2

    I don't think HP legally can do it under antimonopoly laws: you can't sell your goods only to selected companies - you MUST sell it to everyone who will pay listed price.

    Why don't you just ring up Intel then and see if you can get them to sell you a processor.

  30. Nice Spin by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 3, Informative

    >>Dell spokesman Mike Maher said his company would still sell HP branded printers that it purchases through distributors, but expressed dismay at HP's decision. "Frankly we're surprised that a company would make it harder for customers to get their hands on their products," he said.

    No, it's not harder to get an HP printer, I can go to any of 1000 stores near me and pick one up quite easily, as can any number of new-computer buying people.

    Dell is trying to muscle into HP's area, and this is how HP is responding. I'm not surprised at all...

    --
    So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
    1. Re:Nice Spin by zoombat · · Score: 2
      No, it's not harder to get an HP printer, I can go to any of 1000 stores near me and pick one up quite easily, as can any number of new-computer buying people.

      While I agree that this was definately a spin intended to make HP look dumb and Dell look innocent, I do agree that it does make it slightly harder to get an HP printer... especially in this era of mega stores and one-stop-shopping. In the article, HP says Dell only makes up 2 days/year (or 0.5%) of its printer sales... but I wonder what percentage of printers purchased from Dell (the former #1 reseller of PC's) are HP's, and what percentage of purchases from Dell include printers.

      Any ideas?

    2. Re:Nice Spin by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 1

      I'm totally guessing here, but doing a quick browse through Dell's website, they don't seem to offer anything else *but* HP printers. Also, most of Dell's "deal of the week" machines are bundled with either a scanner or printer, or both. I imagine that for a 1st time buyer, getting everything in one makes good buying sense, so I suspect that Dell sells quite a number of HP printers, but what percentage that is of HP's overall sales is, I have no idea.

      --
      So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
    3. Re:Nice Spin by zoombat · · Score: 1
      Huh, I just went to Dell's web site and did my own totally unscientific study: I customized a Dimension 8200 in the Home user section. The printers listed were:

      Multi-Function
      • Lexmark X83 All in one Printer, Scanner, and Copier [$199]

      • Lexmark X63 All-in-one [$169]
        HP OfficeJet K80 All in one Printer, Scanner, and Copier. $50 rebate! [$300]
        HP PSC 750 All in one (Printer, Scanner and Copier) $50 Mail-in Rebate [$248]
        Epson 1000 ICS All-in-one color matched [$179]
      Printer Bundle
      • Lexmark Z65 bundle [$259]

      • Lexmark Z55 bundle [$199]
      Printers
      • Lexmark Z55 [$130]

      • Lexmark Z65 [$200]
        Canon S820 [$250]
        HP Deskjet 960 Color matched [$200]
        HP Deskjet 940C [$130]
        HP PhotoSmart 1115 [$200]
        Lexmark E320 Laser Printer [$268]
        Epson Stylus C60 [$70]
  31. Re:Screw HP by ShavenYak · · Score: 5, Funny

    I agree with you! This is one example of why women should NOT be CEO's or in any power postition whatsoever!

    You're obviously a troll, but I'm going to play with your argument for a bit.

    If this is a good enough reason for women to not be CEOs, then the Enron debacle is an example of why men should not be CEOs. Men are far too greedy and aggressive, too willing to lie and deceive to get their way, and spend too much time sexually harassing their secretaries to get any work done. Thus, since neither men nor women are qualified to be CEOs, I propose we dismantle all corporations until such time as we develop an AI suitable for administering their functions.

    --

    Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  32. Re:No big loss by silicon_synapse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Everyone knows they make the momey from the cartrages, not the actual units. Kind of like the game console sales model

    True, but fewer of their printers in people's homes means fewer cartridges will be needed. They're losing more than the profit directly from the printer.

  33. Story Updated by jaymzter · · Score: 5, Funny
    CNN (I lost the direct link) is reporting that the real
    reason HP is pulling printers from Dell is because that
    lovable scamp, the "Dell Guy", reportedly grabbed Carly's
    ass at a recent "goodwill" meeting.

    Carly was overheard to say "He'll never get his hands
    on my toner again!". The Dell Guy responded with "Dude,
    what a rude BITCH!"

    Can someone without an actual job please find this link?

    --
    If thou see a fair woman pay court to her, for thus thou wilt obtain love
  34. KILL THE DELL KID by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The dell kid must die. He is the most god damned annoying pitchman since billy mays.

    1. Re:KILL the DELL KID by altgrr · · Score: 1

      Over the pond, whenever anything goes wrong with our Dell kit, we always refer to Dell Boy (ala Only Fools And Horses) - I don't think I want to see the van the computers got delivered in :-)

      --


      Like car accidents, most hardware problems are due to driver error.
    2. Re:KILL the DELL KID by ShavenYak · · Score: 2, Offtopic

      His name is Stephen, you might wish to use it in your future comments to look like less of an idiot. Also, knowing his name would be a good indicator that you've seen the commercials too many times, thus strengthening your case against him.

      Honestly, though, if you're going to campaign against mass annoyance, there are far more deserving targets. You can easily find as many as 40 good candidates in the latest issue of Billboard magazine.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    3. Re:KILL THE DELL KID by larry+bagina · · Score: 1

      Yeah, before he gets hired by Verizon ("Dude! Can you hear me now?")

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

    4. Re:KILL the DELL KID by ShavenYak · · Score: 1

      Geez, and to think I got insulted for knowing his "stage" name.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    5. Re:KILL the DELL KID by babbage · · Score: 1
      I only know him from the print ads and they're plenty annoying but, as far as I've noticed, they don't run a name with the ads.

      And I hardly think that a magazine like Billboard is a reasonable comparison -- you read a rag like that for the trashy ads. The Dell ads are running in mainstream sources (major daily newspapers, for example) and so stand out all the more. *shudder*

    6. Re:KILL the DELL KID by taernim · · Score: 1

      Hmmm. Is this "Target the Bad Corporate Sponsor/Spokesperson" day? If so, can I lodge my vote against Jesse, the ex-VJ from MTV? It's like a young Ozzy, with no talent... just a stupid teenager who OD'd too much. :) heh

      --
      "PC Load Letter? What the $@#% does that mean?!"
    7. Re:KILL the DELL KID by ShavenYak · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      And I hardly think that a magazine like Billboard is a reasonable comparison -- you read a rag like that for the trashy ads.

      I wasn't talking about the ads in Billboard. Your hint should have been the number 40. As in, Top 40.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    8. Re:KILL the DELL KID by babbage · · Score: 1

      yeah -- i got it :)

    9. Re:KILL the DELL KID by dimator · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      I vote for carrot top. If anyone needs to die, it's him.

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  35. No, good decision... by Critical_ · · Score: 1

    Most people buying computers these days don't give a damn whether their printer is an HP, Lexmark, Generic, etc. All they want is to be able to print out their book reports and greeting cards. So, looking at the printer business, we see that since HP sells its printers at a loss for the intention of making up the price in the sale of cartridges, then I commend them for what they did. The article points out that Dell sales amounted to about 2 days worth of HP's annual sales. What have they got to lose?

    If I was a shareholder, I would be fine with that they did. Why compete against Dell's own printers when the publiic doesn't care for brand, all the care for is price?

    1. Re:No, good decision... by fantastic · · Score: 1

      I don't work for HPQ or Dell or have shares in either. I think the HP math is suspect, they did say 2 days of HPs printer sales but why use this terminology? If it was 2 out of 365 = 0.54% , surely less than 1% would sound good? But perhaps its 2 out of every business day in a year, that percentage would be closer to 2%.

      Now hp sell printers from 100 to 3000+ plus, that means the 2% could be closer to 30% for printers $300

      HP makes money from supplies like the razor companies, they need the market penetration to sustain this model. The profit on ink doesn't vary much between the 100-500 dollar models, you want them all.

  36. KILL the DELL KID by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The dell kid must die. His death must be slow, humiliating, and most of all painfull. This is deserved for his crimes against humanity, mass annoyance. Any suggestions?

  37. Makes perfect sense - as fallout from the merger. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Looks like one bad decision after the next. First that moronic Compaq-HP merger and then this.

    Makes sense to me.

    Why would Dell want to be dependent on Compaq for its printers?

    Why would Compaq want to assist Dell's sales of computer systems by selling them printers.

    I expect Compaq-HP would have cut Dell off eventually, or ramped up the printer prices to put them at a competitive disadvantage to Compaq's line and sucked out their market share in the PC business. (If nothing else, continuing the relationship would bring up anti-trust issues eventually.)

    So Dell started cutting the apron strings, and Compaq used this as an excuse to do as much damage to them as possible in one hit.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  38. Re:Smart Move...YEP, Capitialism Classic by darkPHi3er · · Score: 3, Interesting
    "Chances are HP isn't losing much of anything (if at all) by selling to another distributor.

    It's (potentially) better than that (for printer buyers and users)..

    1. Dell detects that HP/Canon/Epson are keeping margins artificially high on printers. Dell does a gut check to see if they can undercut the BigBoyz in the marketplace. Dell decides they can.

    2. HP sees a new competitor with money, knowledge and resources in the PC arena, decides that rather than allow Dell to transition smoothly to offering their Dell-branded printers, "We can offer you a Dell brand printer 25% cheaper than the comparable HP and give you free extended support.", HP decides to deprive Dell of some printer customers.

    3. Dell now has to scramble to get their printers to market, maybe they make some "entry mistakes" maybe they don't (i'd bet don't), regardless, now Dell has to explain WHY they can't offer the customer (most esp CORPORATE buyers who have been told EXACTLY what model HP printer to buy) the world's best-selling printers.

    4. HP now goes DIRECTLY to the big Dell corporate accoutants and attempts to undercut Dell's nascent printer biz, the most common technique will be reduced prices.

    5. Dell responds with further price drops across their new printer line to gain and retain sales.

    Should it actually work that way, that just the "Capitialism Classic" approach to business.

    The Egyptians did it 4000 years ago.

    --
    Ten quid, she's so easy to blind. And not a word is spoken...
  39. About bloody time by the+bluebrain · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This would be an interesting story purely from a business perspective, but the fact that it's about printers gives it a different spin.

    Printer profits also depend on sales of ink, since the printers themselves are often sold at a loss [...]

    The lack of true competition specifically in the inkjet / bubblejet market is sickening - there is hardly any other market where producers can get away with the shameless margins seen here. Basically you're paying $50 for a $5 piece of hobbled (i.e., you can't refil it) equipment, over and over again. I would prefer to pay a market price for a printer, if I got to pay a fair price for the cartridges later on. Hopefully a additional big player will even things out a bit.

    --
    yes, we have no bananas
    1. Re:About bloody time by mrscorpio · · Score: 1

      Speaking as someone who was a floor sales rep for Office Max for a year and a half, telephone tech support for a printer company (not HP) for a year, and an owner of 3 different inkjet printers, you don't WANT refillable cartridges! By having to buy a new cartridge every time, you're getting a new printhead each time, ensuring the same quality on every print through the life of the machine. Those stupid ass Canon printers are a hassle, you have to replace the ink tank and the printhead, and near the end of the life of the printhead you're going to get streaks, blobs, etc.

      Hopefully you (and others) now understand why refillable cartridges != good.

      Chris

    2. Re:About bloody time by the+bluebrain · · Score: 1

      Two points:
      A) Choice. If a crappy printout is good enough for me, then it should be possible to make one. Of course, the producers have manifold reasons to block such manoeuvres (profit?) to the full extent of the law, so there's ...
      B) Price. How much does it actually cost to make a cartridge, including the head? I'm not saying that outrageous margins should be illegal (hey - if you can get away with it ...), or even that there's some kind of bait-and-switch going on (so no-one can tell you how many pages you get per cartridge, because they don't know how much ink you use, but you can guess, and the prices for cartridges are known before you decide on a printer), but in the marketplace the way it is now, there's no producer who has not jumped on the bandwagon of cheap-printer / expensive cartridges. I just hope that someone at some point will trust consumer's intelligence so far that they believe the message "printer for $300, but cartridges for $8" will hit home. It sure would for me.

      Yes, they put a lot of effort into R&D, yes it's a captive market subject to all the profit-maximisation formulas, yes I admit that the cartridge designs merit patents, thus preventing third-party cartridge producers from entering the marketplace ... maybe I just think it's a shame to see the fantastic invention of affordable photo-quality printing at home not panning out.

      --
      yes, we have no bananas
    3. Re:About bloody time by mrscorpio · · Score: 1

      If crappy printout is good enough for you, then get one of the aforementioned Canons!

      And, if you look hard enough, you can find refills even for HP cartridges made by other companies. I suggest checking out www.tigerdirect.com.

      Chris

  40. Great! by Jacer · · Score: 1

    I hope Dell's computer quality transfers over to their printers, they'd beat HP down, and I like HP printers, that's the only thing from HP I'd EVER buy.

    --
    --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
  41. Who's move was bad? by sadcox · · Score: 1

    Playing devil's advocate here...

    Dell is getting into the printer market now with no reputation in that market. While they have a substantial share of the PC market, are any other PC manufacturers going to be willing to purchase/sell Dell printers? Which of their competitors will be willing to sell a printer with Dell's name on it?

    HP/Compaq on the other hand, while it has its hand in the PC market, is not really viewed (at least by me) as a PC company. This move MAY encourage other PC manufacturers to go with HP (widely viewed as the superior printer) as a strategy to better compete with Dell.

    I believe a similar situation existed in the fast food market a few years ago when Pepsi owned Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Those restaurants ALL sold Pepsi products. Since they were under the same umbrella, lots of other fast food chains were selling Coca Cola products because selling Pepsi was in essence giving money to their competitor. Pepsi eventually spun these restaurants off into a seperate company so that they could have a chance at sales in the competing restaurants.

    Not saying I'm right, but it is a point to consider...

    --
    "He hated Mexicans, and he was half Mexican. AND he hated irony!"
    1. Re:Who's move was bad? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

      > are any other PC manufacturers going to be willing to purchase/sell Dell printers?
      Probably not - at least, not YET (once upon HP had no reputation in the printer market) - but I doubt that's Dell's intended business model.
      I suspect you'll find that it's currently quite rare for Dell to sell an HP printer to someone who hasn't bought a Dell PC. So what Dell are probably going to do is sell Dell printers to people who have bought (or are buying) Dell computers.

      > lots of other fast food chains were selling Coca Cola products because selling Pepsi was in essence giving money to their competitor
      I don't suppose it could possibly be be Coke tastes better than Pepsi, could it? (And, since this is clearly a personal choice, you're entitled to hold my opinion :-))

      --
      Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
    2. Re:Who's move was bad? by sadcox · · Score: 1

      I don't suppose it could possibly be be Coke tastes better than Pepsi, could it?

      Pretty naive way of looking at it. I'd say that for most people, once they are in the restaurant (PC store), they are getting the drink (printer), that comes with the meal deal (package). Brand name and quality becomes a issues that are secondary to price and convenience.

      There is so much more that goes into a decision of what product to carry than what the consumer actually prefers. Even if 75% would rather have Coke than Pepsi (HP than Dell printer), the company with the smaller market share can use price to the reseller or it's other products to get into the door.

      In the soft drink case, look at how many sandwich restaurants (Subway, etc.) carry Pepsi. One of the big reasons is that Pepsi uses its strength in the Lays potato chip brand to leverage soft drink deals. It's all about shelf space.

      --
      "He hated Mexicans, and he was half Mexican. AND he hated irony!"
    3. Re:Who's move was bad? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

      It's a pity you chose to ignore the salient part of my post and instead chose to call me naive for adding a throw-away line. (There's a reason I added a smiley)

      > Brand name and quality becomes a issues that are secondary to price and convenience.
      Which is pretty much what I was saying w.r.t. printers and branding. I don't really want to go so far off-topic as to debate the soft drink choices of fast food outlets.

      --
      Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  42. Backwards? by misfit13b · · Score: 1

    I'd think this would HELP HP sales...

    Example: a consumer goes grocery shopping and wants to get some tortilla chips to make some nachos. They see two kinds:
    Tostitos - the name brand
    and
    Stop and Shop (or A&P - whatever) store brand tortilla chips

    I'd guess that (assuming Tostitos' popularity via advertisement, etc.) that the consumer might be more inclined to lean towards the brand name.

    Now take that to Dell. User goes to buy a computer, doesn't know printers that well, but has heard of HP being a solid brand of printers. Sees the Dell brand as a "cheesy rip off store brand" and buys the HP...

    P.S. I have nothing against store brand tortilla chips. ;^)

    1. Re:Backwards? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

      > User goes to buy a computer, doesn't know printers that well, but has heard of HP being a solid brand of printers. Sees the Dell brand as a "cheesy rip off store brand" and buys the HP...
      Tortilla chips and computers are somewhat different (see, I have learnt something after being in software for 20 years :-)
      The majority of consumers know much more about tortilla chips than they do about computers. When they set out to buy a computer, they go out to buy a computer - and might even have done some research. But it's the computer they're looking for - the printer is, well, peripheral. So they decide which computer they want and then think "oh yeah, I need something to print out on" - and start asking the seller's advice. If the seller (in this case, Dell), says "buy a Dell printer" then the consumer will think that's a good idea. He'll just assume that a Dell printer will be compatible with a Dell PC, but he might wonder if an HP printer is.
      Add to that the fact that I doubt you'll ever be in a "store" where both Dell and HP printers are on offer (Dell continue to do almost all - if not all - their selling direct), so the comparison won't arise.

      --
      Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  43. An insignificant amount by linderdm · · Score: 2, Informative

    This older article at CNet has a quote from HP saying "Dell's business represented an 'insignificant' portion of HP's total printing and imaging business, equal to only a few days' sales per year." For all of the posts saying HP is shooting itself in the foot, or are making a bad decision, ask yourself, what would you do if one of your partners, who sells your products, decided to make their own version of your product and sell that too? HP is making most of their money in the printing industry elsewhere, so why not drop Dell?

    1. Re:An insignificant amount by c1pher · · Score: 1

      because it makes yourself (HP) look like an ass to the public, just a bad PR move. They should wait till those Dell plans were definate and being manufactured.

      --
      The Adult Happy Meal - "I'm lovin' it!"
  44. What I understand... by cnelzie · · Score: 1


    I remember reading or hearing, not to long ago, that the FTC was beginning some investigations into the practice of those Expiring Gift Cards and Power Cards or whatever they happen to be called. Some people are calling for them to be regulated, similar to Escrow accounts, which is basically what they are.

    You put your money, into a non-interest bearing account for future use. Escrow accounts that are called such, simply do not expire. At least, I haven't heard of any that expire...

    One more thing, if you will eventually be running out of ink, you would end up using that second ink cartridge. So, you aren't buying something that will be wasted. Buying something that would be wasted would be if Dell forced you to buy an ink cartridge for a different printer and disallowed you from returning that ink cartridge. Unless you intended to buy that other printer... You would be buying something that you would never use.

    -.-

    --
    If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
  45. monumentally stupid by j1mmy · · Score: 2, Funny

    HP: Hi, Dell?
    Dell: Yes?
    HP: This is HP. We're tired of receiving revenue from the printers you sell for us.
    Dell: I see.
    HP: We're going to stop selling printers through you.
    Dell: Well have fun.

    1. Re:monumentally stupid by sysadmn · · Score: 2

      From HP's point of view, it probably went like this:
      Dell: Hi, HP? We've decided to hang you. Could you sell us some some rope? We'll have the gallows done in a little while.
      HP: Not effing likely.(Gathers up toys and goes home)

      --
      Envy my 5 digit Slashdot User ID!
  46. Re:AAAA! by ShavenYak · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I suppose "Ni!" would be out of the question then.

    --

    Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  47. Re:How could they do it? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

    > you can't sell your goods only to selected companies - you MUST sell it to everyone who will pay listed price.
    Not at all true. You can refuse to sell anything to anyone. Or do you think that arms manufacturers MUST sell guns to terrorists?

    --
    Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  48. Printer Money by PMadavi · · Score: 1
    Considering that most of the expensive printers available are bought by companies and corporations for their business offices, and considering that said companies and corporations like to stick with one provider for compatibility reasons, it's easy to see why HP is pissed.

    I'm not sure what the market share is for all printers for corps. vs. personal use, but this might be more of an act of retaliation than an actual way to cut losses.

    --

    --What, you ain't know about them country fried sessions?

    1. Re:Printer Money by PMadavi · · Score: 1

      damn /i's, get me every time

      --

      --What, you ain't know about them country fried sessions?

  49. Nah... by artemis67 · · Score: 2

    With the merger a done deal, HP is reorganizing their divisions, setting new strategies. They probably want to compete more fully with Dell head-to-head in the e-commerce space, and they can't do that if Dell is selling their products.

    HP has an established brand of printers, well known, well liked. Dell's printer division is going to have to spend big bucks to get there. Better for HP to yank their printers now and use it as a competitive advantage to sell their own systems, and let Dell fumble around.

  50. Good riddance to HP by AllieA · · Score: 2, Interesting

    HP's printers may be okay (though definitely not the industry's best), but their customer service and many of their products (especially peripherals like CD burners) are so horrendously bad, that my company has also banned all HP products. And by the recent acquisition, we have also cancelled our Compaq contracts as well and are in the process of looking for replacements for our Compaq PC's.

    I also had the experience of spending probably a month (plus lots of my own money on their non-toll-free support line) trying to get a CD burner of theirs to work (this was a few years ago) and eventually I was told that they couldn't guarantee it would be compatable with my system since my system was self-built! Huh? I was so mad I literally cracked the phone when I slammed it down. Fortunately Best Buy let me return the product past the 15 day return limit (though only for credit) because the person I spoke to said that they have seen this type of thing with HP peripherals before, too many times to count.

    Keep up the good work, HP. Would the last one at HP please turn off the light.

    1. Re:Good riddance to HP by adixon01 · · Score: 1

      This a Great Comment Comming from a HP flamer, and Apple Hater. Also, what company buys it's business products from best buy? It took about 0.1seconds for me to see str8 through you.

      Also i own a LEXMARK Z11 and im happy with it, but ive had 2 HP's before that ate ink but the Z11 loves refills and is sparing on ink.

    2. Re:Good riddance to HP by AllieA · · Score: 1

      Also, what company buys it's business products from best buy? It took about 0.1seconds for me to see str8 through you.

      Apparently you didn't read my post. My company buys Compaq PC's.. I personally made the mistake of buying an HP CD Burner for my own personal use (at home you see, make sense now?) that I never did get to work, despite the endless hours working on it.

      Took me about 0.1 seconds to see you didn't bother reading what I posted, just what you wanted to hear.

      And yes, I am an Apple Hater and HP Flamer (If by "flaming" you mean relating an actual experience). 12 years of supporting their equipment (and a few more than that as far as using Macs) has given me enough experience to have an informed opinion of both: I don't like the Mac interface, and I can't trust HP's to work reliably, or provide useful support when they don't. I'm glad we're finally rid of HP's and pushing Compaq out the door. It will definitely make my job easier. If only we could get rid of those last few Macs... :)

  51. Re:This is called good business by coldnight · · Score: 1

    We note you continue to be an A/C. This is good policy for someone who is attacking masses of /. readers for not knowing the details of a contract between HP and Dell. At the same time, it shows your ignorance of the readership by lumping all readers into your personally defined 'geeks who know nothing about bussiness' catagory.

    It'd be interesting to know the answers in your post; margins and so on. However, its not terribly important.

    Many of the people who specify equipment purchasing decisions will remember the emotional reaction that they had with vendor X the next time they purchase items which vendor X produces. Its normal for persons who have had a bad experience with a product to not buy it again. Unless, somehow, the difficulties produced lots of income for them in the end.

    YMMV, IMHO, etc ....

  52. IMNAL by af_robot · · Score: 2, Informative

    United States > TITLE 15 > CHAPTER 1 > Sec. 13. (e)
    It shall be unlawful for any person to discriminate in favor of one purchaser against another purchaser or purchasers of a commodity bought for resale, with or without processing, by contracting to furnish or furnishing, or by contributing to the furnishing of, any services or facilities connected with the processing, handling, sale, or offering for sale of such commodity so purchased upon terms not accorded to all purchasers on proportionally equal terms.

    1. Re:IMNAL by ShavenYak · · Score: 2

      Why can't attorneys, politicians, and other entities who produce, edit, or distribute documents used or intended for use as legislation, contracts, or legal advice learn to write in such a manner so that their meanings, definitions, and ramifications can clearly be understood, intepreted, or explained by any person, company, or other entity, including but not limited to the avoidance of run-on sentences, unnecessary parenthetical phrases, and confusing usage of passive voice?

      Anyway, IANAL either but it sounds like the law stated above isn't intended to require a company to do business with all purchasers, but rather to require them to provide the same service, support, and such to all purchasers.

      The reason I say this is because it refers to discriminating "in favor of one purchaser against another purchaser" and states that all purchasers must be offered "proportionally equal terms" (whatever that means). It does not seem to address the issue of refusing to allow an entity to make the purchase in the first place.

      I could very well be wrong, though. Lawyers have a vested interested in writing things that only they can interpret.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  53. Re:Dell shmell... by jonnythan · · Score: 2

    I build my own high-performance workstations and servers, but when I buy computers for work, I always go with Dell.

    Why? Because they make a far, far better $500 computer than I can, and when a component needs replacing, I call them up and get a new one in the next morning, no worries.

  54. Parent should be Insightful, not Funny by gosand · · Score: 2

    Why was the parent modded as Funny?

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  55. Re:AAAA! by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    No, but "It" might.

    Also, possibly, "Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG! Zoom-Boing! Z'nourrwringmm!"

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  56. It all makes sense, I think by Sloppy · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Dunno why this story made Slashdot, but...
    HP believes consumers prefer to buy ink from retailers rather than online
    Heh, that's an interesting way to look at it. I think it's more like: "When someone needs ink, they need it now." Nobody buys a printer in a hurry, but they do buy ink that way. I recently helped my mom get an ink cartridge (she wanted me to make sure she didn't get the wrong type), and she was willing to get ripped off buying retail, even though she knew (and I reminded her) that she could get better price. Why? She wanted to print something that day. So she paid $30 for a fscking cartridge.

    As for HP's decision, I can think of lots of reasons for HP to do this:

    • Punative. If Dell has a printer supply crunch, it'll cost them money, delay 'em, etc. Dell has low margins and needs flow, so they can be hurt. Might as well make an example of them, especially if it won't cost you anything (HP claims that other resellers have already agreed to contracts to make up for Dell's volume).
    • In the short term, it might cause Dell computer customers to go to a retail store and buy an HP printer, since Dell either won't be able to sell printers for a while, or will have to increase their printer prices.
    • HP says they've already made deals to sell their printers to someone else. Maybe computer buyers will go to those other parties. Dells already have atrocious reputations for quality. (All the ones I've seen this year were junkers that came preloaded with XP: four out of four machines had reliability problems -- whether that was due to XP or Dell, I don't know or care. Yes, they're black. But black cases don't fool me anymore, thanks to Dell. ;-) If I were thinking of buying a Dell (I'm not) and I heard it would come with a Lexmark piece of crap (don't get me started on Lexmark..) instead of an HP, that might push me over.
    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  57. Re:How could they do it? by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 3, Funny
    you MUST sell it to everyone who will pay listed price

    There's a new sign in the window at HP's corporate HQ.
    We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. ... Especially annoying guys who call people "Dude!"
    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  58. Well, since the cat's out of the bag.... by LazLong · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have it from a well-placed source in Dell that Lexmark is going to be making the printers that Dell is going to rebrand.

    Since I buy all of my x86 servers from Dell and am familiar with their support structure, as are my desktop people, this may be an attractive alternative to HP if the printers are decent. I personally have little experience with Lexmark, tho they do have some nice looking management tools. With Dell's backing I'd be willing to give them a chance. Dell has always given me excellent support. Such as recently offering to take back the Itanium servers that were bought by a group at work and give a full refund due to Itanium being the huge dud that it was.

    We recently replaced several of our HP 5si's with HP9000's, and boy are they pieces of shit! We've had nothing but problems with them. And they just feel flimsy as hell when you open them up and futz around with their guts. Guess HP's been doing too much corner-cutting. I regret that we got rid of the 5si's as they are solid printers.

    1. Re:Well, since the cat's out of the bag.... by King_TJ · · Score: 2

      Well, if you dislike HP's printers, I fear you'll really be sorry if you choose Lexmark.

      I've done a lot of work with both - and my experiences have always been decidedly poor with Lexmark. For inkjets, they consistently have the *worst* printhead technologies. You'll never get "photo quality" printing out of a Lexmark inkjet -- at least, not nearly comparable to a good Epson Stylus Photo series, or a high-end Canon inkjet.

      On the laser printer side, Lexmark lasers print perfectly ok - but their toners always seem to cost $40+ more than the competiton, and they tend to have annoying little parts that break and cost big $'s to replace. (EG. One of our Lexmark Optra lasers quit realzing the lid was closed, so it wouldn't go online anymore. You'd figure it's just a small switch that broke, right? Wrong! Lexmark had this goofy plastic "ice-pick" looking thing on the top of the lid that pokes down deep into the printer, to trip a switch that lets it know the lid is shut. Of course, this thing snapped off. Replacement part cost? Around $60!)

      I do agree that HP Laserjets are "hit and miss" with quality nowdays. You almost have to hand-examine every single new model before you order it, to see if it's a "winner" or a complete "loser". At least, I find you can usually tell in just a few minutes. They either build flimsy-looking stuff or really solid stuff. There's not much in-between with HP. We had good luck with the 8000 series, other than some hassles cleaning it out pretty regularly to avoid strange errors and poor print quality. We tried the 8100 series after that, and again - good quality. Seemed to fix some of our small complaints on the 8000 line, even. Expensive, but you got a big, solid printer for the $'s.

    2. Re:Well, since the cat's out of the bag.... by LazLong · · Score: 1

      Wasn't talking about Lexmark inkjets - I've looked at them in computer stores and they look like total shit. We only buy laser and solid-ink printers.

      As for the toner carts, my friend at Dell said they were going to offer supplies, and at killer prices. Won't know until we see the stuff tho....

    3. Re:Well, since the cat's out of the bag.... by Jade+E.+2 · · Score: 2
      I have it from a well-placed source in Dell that Lexmark is going to be making the printers that Dell is going to rebrand.

      This doesn't surprise me in the least. Compaq's retail printer line is still entirely made by Lexmark. I assume it's just retailers selling off remaining stock, since they only offer HP printers on their website now.

      If you're really curious, here are the printer equivalents I know of. The rest of the Compaq branded printers are by Lexmark, as well, I'm just not as familiar with them.

      Compaq - Lexmark
      IJ600 - Z22
      IJ650 - Z33
      IJ700 - 5700
      1400P - Z52
      A3000 - Z52 (+ fax/scanner hardware)
      A4000 - Z52 (+ fax/scanner hardware)

      I'm willing to bet that Dell is going to fill the gap in Lexmark's business that Compaq left.

  59. Re:How could they do it? by af_robot · · Score: 1

    You can refuse to sell anything to anyone. Or do you think that arms manufacturers MUST sell guns to terrorists?

    You CAN NOT refuse to sell goods to selected people. You MUST sell it to everyone or don't sell it at all. Regarding firearms, there are some government regulations to whom you can sell it, if you are eligible to buy it, seller CAN NOT refuse to sell it just because he did not like you. This is the LAW.

  60. Re:Smart Move...YEP, Capitialism Classic by HiredMan · · Score: 2


    Good summation, about the only thing you left out was the implicit threat to other HP customers.

    "Don't think that you're so big we won't drop you like a rock."

    Apparently HP thinks this is enough of a problem to react harshly now at the first signs of trouble to possibly head off bigger trouble down the road.

    =tkk

  61. Re:goodbye HP by chewedtoothpick · · Score: 1

    You do have a point, HP's suck. I am an epson guy and have been since I realized that an Epson won't shake my metal desk to itty-bitty peices from side-to-side like a damned HP will.

    I will give them this though: Even though they are soo expencive, the closest rival to their photo series of printers (Inktomi Professional Photogrophy series) are still twice as expencive and barely any better. I print a lot of photos, and to do them I mostly use my hp printer. I have yet to see a printer for it's price range that can do shiny colors like chrome so well.

    Oh, and watch the flammerness of your coment, you are liable to get modded down.

    P.S. Hp computers suck but their servers are decent.

    --
    Erutangis ym si siht.
  62. Re:How could they do it? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

    > This is the LAW.
    Can you say which LAW? Or is this just a troll?

    --
    Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  63. I think the issue is... by Xeriar · · Score: 1

    So many women claimed that they should get their share, that some idiot was just picked to get that share.

    Seriously, it's not a 'man's world' out there, it's a 'financial mind's world'. Male or female, it is the same concept. You stick a moron in a place of power, you get dissapointed. Go figure.

    The CEO of HP is not the first time this has happened...

  64. Re:How could they do it? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

    > To do anything less would be uneconomic and simply bad business. It would be dam-well unAmerican!
    Whilst that's probably true, I suspect you'll find it's the sellers OPTION. I don't know of any state tyrannical enough to COMPELL such a sale (which was what the original post implied)

    --
    Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  65. My my by autopr0n · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    How unbelievably uninteresting

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  66. Dude, you're getting screwed up! by $criptah · · Score: 1


    HP doesn't really need Dell. They can do better than that. Their printers are good, and I don't doubt that they will drive Dell out of the printer market. If Dell wants to make printers, they should start training and hiring good tech support people on the first place. Last time I called, it took me about 50 minutes of being on hold to get an answer "Yeah, it seems like you have a problem...". If they can't assemble and provide good tech support for their computers, I have no idea what they're going to do with designing and manufacturing their own printers. Thanks

  67. Where it went wrong for HP by joneshenry · · Score: 4, Insightful
    HP's problems began well before Carly Fiorina. The critical decision was made by 1993 when HP decided that it could not afford to manufacture the next generation of processors, choosing instead to partner with Intel to develop the Itanium processor. What HP refused to admit a decade ago was that in effect it was surrendering the high-end Unix business.

    By telling the world that PA-RISC was going to be phased out, HP killed any chance of growth in the high-end business. No customer with any sense would believe that a transition from PA-RISC to Itanium would not be a monumental upheaval. And if a painful transition was a certainty, why not bite the bullet and go with either Sun or IBM? The decision could not have come at a worse time with the last boom for a while in business computing just about to start.

    With growth flat in what should have been a boom time, HP desperately entered the lower margin consumer PC business in order to generate more cash flow, any kind of cash flow. Unfortunately HP entered the business just as it was about to crash in turn. What was supposed to at least generate some revenue now has the prospect of unending losses.

    Anyone can see that the sensible approach for HP would be to save the last of the company's crown jewels, the printer business, by simply exiting the consumer and small business PC markets, both HP and Compaq brands. This would have eliminated competing head-to-head with Dell and probably avoided provoking Dell into trying to offer Dell's own brand of printers. The only problem would have been figuring out what was left for the company to do in the computing industry. Where can HP generate profit if on the high-end the product line is dependent on the Itanium processor, especially if Intel is now selling to anyone not just the processor but also the guts of entire systems? What exactly does HP own that is unique in the computing industry? Where's the beef?

    Perhaps the decline was inevitable once HP ceased to be a company of engineers who got things done. The company had reached the limits of organization. To have preserved the "HP Way" the company by the 1980s would have had to have morphed into a high-tech holding company whose "business" would have been using connections to Stanford and Berkeley to finance upstarts such as Steven Wozniak.

    1. Re:Where it went wrong for HP by nzhavok · · Score: 2

      Anyone can see that the sensible approach for HP would be to save the last of the company's crown jewels, the printer business, by simply exiting the consumer and small business PC markets, both HP and Compaq brands

      Except that since HP often gets the cash for it's products upfront yet pays it's expenses in arrears the PC market generates a massive amount of cashflow, even if it doesn't have high margins.

      --

      He who defends everything, defends nothing. -- Fredrick The Great
  68. Re:goodbye HP by uncoveror · · Score: 2

    Cutting off Dell will make sure they go elsewhere (lexmark, canon) if their own brand fails, and they have to buy from another printer manufacurer again. It's all part of Carly "The Hatchet" Fiorina's plan to destroy HP. She is an IBM mole!

    --
    The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
  69. No big loss for anyone by Archfeld · · Score: 2

    except HP employees...

    HP makes crap except for there high end Unix systems. An HP PC is nearly the worst, low end components, allowing no upgrade. HP printers USED to be decent, but they are now cheap plastic crap that breaks if you look at meanly. Lexmark printers blow away anything HP has put out in a long while, and there are several lines better than that...The ones I feel sorry for are the old compaq support folks, who now get to service and support the wonder HP desktop...arghhh that would be enough to make me go look for another job.

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
  70. You can still buy HP printers with your Dell PC by CyberKnet · · Score: 2
    quoth the article:
    • Dell spokesman Mike Maher said his company would still sell HP branded printers that it purchases through distributors
    Just in case you didnt read the article, and believed the headline.
    --
    Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor - Ovidius
  71. HP's Logic is good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Home users and small businesses like to buy computer systems that include a printer. HP's printer are known for high quality and ubiquitous support. They are a strong incentive for the actual system purchase. If people are trying to chose between a Dell or a Compaq/HP system, the printer could very possibly tilt the balance in favor the Compaq/HP solution. This is a very SMART business move by HP, not, as some knee jerk reactionaries chide, an emotional or bad business move.

  72. How did HP find out? by timeOday · · Score: 1

    Did Dell tell HP they were going to make printers? If so, why? If not, I wonder who spilled the beans and what their bonus will be this year.

  73. Cheap HP printers, expensive Cartridges... by Erik_ · · Score: 1

    Seen the new HP DeskJet 5550 ($150 list price) series of printers, they are so cheap... yet their Color Cartridges are 3/4 of the size of previous HP Cartridges, and not compatible with previous models.
    From HP's DeskJet 5550 page's add an optional automatic two-sided printing accessory and save up to 50 percent on paper costs and office file space, but you don't save your cartridge. Each additional Black/White cartridge is $20 and the Tri-Colors ones are $35.

    HP makes it's money of cartridges rather than of their printers...

  74. Not to be picky..... by lucifuge31337 · · Score: 1

    But that's not true. Cannon makes MOST of the engines. The 5L was HP's first (pathetic)attempt at makeing their own engine. They are still doing so on some lower model (definitely throw-away consumer) laser printers.

    I remember this one well, because I was unfortunate enough to be working in a repair facility that was HP authorized at the time the 5L came out. Complete crap....nothing but paper path problems and formatter's blowing chunks les that a week out of the box.

    --
    Do not fold, spindle or mutilate.
  75. It's more symbolic by trailerparkcassanova · · Score: 1

    HP never did sell that many printers through Dell anyway.

  76. Re:Screw HP by notaspy · · Score: 1

    So I guess it's Michael Jackson for CEO, right?

    --
    hi!
  77. good move by d3xt3r · · Score: 2
    I think this was a smart move for HP. While Dell's plans to make their own printer line may help them in the long run, they still need the support of HP and Epson for now because as of today they still do not have their own line of printers.

    So HP capitalizes on this and will hurt Dell in the short-term but not supplying Dell with HP's while Dell waits for its own brand to be ready.

    This really is just capitalism at work. Like their printers or not, offering HP's line helps Dell sell more boxes and helped HP. Now Dell is in direct competition with HP, would you want to help out your comptetitor? Hell, no.

    Dell and the other MS pushing shops need to add value wherever they can to the products that they sell yet don't have any control over. If I'm looking for a new Windoze box with an HP printer and I can get it from company X or company Y but X only offers X's own printer, I'll just go to Y and get my bundled printer. And I generalize with company X and Y b/c that's really all Dell, Compaq, and Gateway, etc, are in the PC business.

    While Dell's lame commercials may have driven business from all the moron's who somehow think a Dell is better than a Gateway or any other brand, what it really comes down to is: "Dude, you got a Windoze box." Period.

  78. Re:Screw HP (okidata alternative?) by King_TJ · · Score: 2

    You know, I do have to admit, Oki has been putting out some really respectable printers for ages now - and yet they never seem to make the list when people talk about their "favorite printer brands".

    Maybe they just never did the advertising push of the other brands? I dunno.... But I remember them having one of the really early personal laser printers on the market, back when I paid nearly $1000 for a Panasonic KXP-4410 laser. The Oki was cheaper, but I bet on Panasonic having the superior product. Seems I probably bet wrong - as the thing had constant paper jam issues, really slow printing, and a tendency to have their fusers die unexpectedly.

    They were always selling dot-matrix printers in the consumer computer mags, long before that.

    Many Oki 24-pin dot-matrix printers get use and abuse every day in manufacturing shop-floor and retail environments, and they work like a charm.

    I guess they never really got into the inkjet market though... As I finish this message, I think maybe that's the biggest reason they remain a relatively obscure brand today.

  79. Which idiot would buy a Dell printer? by gelfling · · Score: 2

    Printers for 99% of all applications are made by HP. Unless Dell printers are rebranded Canons there is no earthly reason to buy them. Where will you get supplies, how long will they honor warranties? Printers are mechanical devices and they break and wear out.

    Who's gonna march into their own personal Viet Nam for driver development and support? Even Lexmark can't get this right and that's all they do.

  80. HP printers Dell Printers All are made in Taiwan!! by pardasaniman · · Score: 1

    HP printers Dell Printers All are made in Taiwan!! In the end, Do not we always get the same printer with the same colours and the same time bomb inside it that tells it to explode after the warranty!!

  81. Dell's the customer by aclarke · · Score: 1

    Umm, I read that as Dell being the customer and having a harder time obtaining printers. Really you and I are Dell's customers. Dell is HP's customer (or was).

  82. plenty of alternatives by g4dget · · Score: 2

    There are plenty of other printer companies to make up for that: Lexmark, Epson, other Japanese ones, ...

  83. How is Dell going to provide cart replacements? by MtViewGuy · · Score: 2

    I agree with what you said.

    The big problem is that if you buy a Dell printer where are you going to get replacement consumables? You can complain about the high price of Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark ink cartridges but at least you can get them from multiple sources. This may not be true for Dell's new line of printers.

  84. Re:Screw HP by jafac · · Score: 2

    I propose we dismantle all corporations until such time as we develop an AI suitable for administering their functions.

    Judging by the behavior of my Win2k machine lately, I don't think AI's could be trusted either. Why not use some hot latin shemales? I get email from those folks all the time. They're VERY hard working. And willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

    --

    These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
  85. They've gotta change their commercials now by Ride-My-Rocket · · Score: 2

    (Steve, the Dell guy) "Duuuude, you're getting a Dell! But you're _not_ getting an HP printer........"

    (Nelson steps in for a cameo) "Ha ha!"

  86. Will they have their own brand of ink? by Animats · · Score: 2

    The next step, I suppose, is that Dell printers will only work with Dell ink cartridges, and a DRM crypto scheme will enforce this.

  87. Re:goodbye HP by macdaddy357 · · Score: 1

    Don't praise the Tektronix/Xerox phaser line. They make pretty pictures when they are working, but the Phaser 1235, and 2135 are rebranded Okidata C7200s and C9200s. Unservicable heaps of crap that make a Rube Goldberg device seem simple. Since Oki, not Xerox, makes them, Xerox can't provide useful tech support, and since they have been rebranded, Oki refuses to offer support. I have had to fix them. HP is badly slipping, and may go under, but even they are better than Boxerox, who gobbled up Tektronix's printing and imaging to create the illusion of growth.

    --
    How ya like dat?
  88. Of course you want to advertise your job... by systemaster · · Score: 1

    Especially how good the extended warrantys are, Circuit City give you like $2 for selling the monitor but on the CSP you get like $25. You can't just sell the computer, you have to sell the extended stuff...if you want to keep your job. Of course strictnein knows that. And as far as quitting your job goes...do it, I'd find a new job first, but do it. Even if you have to take a small pay cut it is worth it, unless you think you can become a store manager(who doesn't make all that much for the amount of work most of them do) quit ASAP. If you have to take a pay cut its ok cuz you have a 9/10 chance the abiltiy to increase your pay will be much higher, CC there is little to no chance of really increasing your pay.

    --
    LinuxWorx
    Spelling errors are intentional as are gramatical error
  89. Re:Screw HP by benzapp · · Score: 1

    Men are greedy? Where are you from? Its common knowledge women are the root of all greed. Men rarely are extravogent with their spending unless they are trying to impress women.

    Greed and and materialism is a maternal trait, thus the word materialism instead of paterialism.

    FYI, mater means mother. It has been known for millenia that women are materialistic sheesh. Read The Odyssey. Its a whole damn book about men trying to escape evil women! Of course, a trip to any suburban shopping mall will also suffice.

    As far as the other shit, men are dishonest? I know of no evidence on that matter, but it is also something traditionally ascribed to women. Women tend to misrepresent the truth in legal issues, such as the mass accusation of men of sexual misconduct, frequently completely unsubstantiated. The simple fact that 75% of divorces are initiated by women, and 90% of child custody matters are resolved in favor of women tends to discount the veracity of women today.

    As far as sexual harassment, no other issue symbolizes the dishonesty of women today. Anyone who has worked in an office knows it is women who most discuss sex, who dress provactively, and who tend to use sex to their advantage. Most men are stuck trying to ignore the sexually charged gossip or trying to lie about their sexual orientation or marital status (of course, women love to screw married guys so that doesnt always work). You can't to forward telling a brazen hussy to fuck off otherwise she will accuse YOU of sexual harassment.

    Personally, I think the only solution is men and women should be allowed to work, but only with each respective gender. There should be male corporations and female corporations. Not only will this prevent any bullshit, we will get to see which gender truly can function independently. I put my money on the male corporations. Especially when all the founders of the female corporations turn 35 and start craving a baby.

    --
    I don't read or respond to AC posts
  90. Citing sources... by Critical_ · · Score: 1

    I guess I'll have to start citing sources for my info.

  91. Re:How could they do it? by geekoid · · Score: 2

    great to here, now I can stop selling stuff to minorities!

    If I have a legal gun shop, and a manufacture refuses to sell me inventory, but does so for my competitor, the manufacure will get into trouble.

    In short, the laws that govern how manufature and large corpration are different and more complex then the laws that tell the local convience store what they can do.

    These laws are so complex, that 2 experts probably couldn't agree on many things.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  92. Re:HP printers Dell Printers All are made in Taiwa by OhYeah! · · Score: 1

    mod parent up!

    That's what most slashdotters are missing. Dell's not going to "make" printers - they're just going to rebrand someone elses printers, prolly Lexmarks.

    Dell doesn't make their own laptops, they don't even design them. The laptops are designed and manufactured for Dell for a Taiwanese company. Dell just adds distribution, marketing, and support. For that matter, from what I hear, HP buys the print heads for all of its ink-jets from Cannon - even HP doesn't make its own printers.

    It's easier to think of this situation as Kmart refusing to sell Kmart branded oven-mitts to Target. What does Target care? They'll just buy the oven-mitts direct from the manufacturer and attach their own name to them.

    Oh, and BTW, does anyone have any question about the outcome in a battle of HP vs Dell?

  93. Re:Screw women, not HP by OhYeah! · · Score: 1

    Got to agree with most of your post, especially the part about the sexes not working together.

  94. My first reaction by A_Non_Moose · · Score: 2

    (mmph, snerk) Bwaaahahahahaaha.

    Considering their solution for *any* problem seems to be a factory restore. Printer won't work: restore.
    Software option can't be found: restore. Computer is on fire: Restore. Oye.

    If Dell's printers turn out to be as good as their current support, this outta be fun. (Lexmarks? Oh, god help the poor souls)

    Here's why:
    Dell is currently going thru a major re-orginization, according to some of the major reps for my area.

    I ordered some parts that would take *max* 30 days (normal/working, I don't recall)... Try 2 Months.

    Dell is getting more propritary than Apple it seems: PowerSupplies, motherboards, ram (except Rambus, IIRC) CPU's with non-standard heatsyncs (nice design, though) and a few other things I'm forgetting. (on arstechnica they blamed crucial for having substandard ram. ROTFLMAO, like saying HP does not know how to make a good laser printer).

    I was getting so fed up I asked a friend how he dealt with the crap service with Dell...the answer?
    "Oh, we now buy Gateway's for desktops and Compaqs for servers, now".
    Yep, that'll do it.

    Simply put, Dell is pissing off a lot of people (except for select few in the Federal Gov't from some I've talked to...gee, wonder why?) inside and outside their own walls.

    And rebranding printers?
    Heh, what do you want to bet that they will be rewired SCSI cables that go from DB25 to centronics50 and cost 75 bucks a piece and can only be bought from Dell?

    (I also wonder how long before they do the same to Microsoft and make their own OS...heh: DeOS...out to be a real winner)

    --
    Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
  95. Now I have to pay more by York+the+Mysterious · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure if everyone realizes how much this sucks. I buy HP printers through Dell for 4 all technology high schools. It's a lot of high output B&W lasers and expensive color laser printers. I could always get a great deal on the printers through our Premier account with Dell, but the education prices through HP were garbage. Now I'm going to have to pay a lot more to get HP printers. Those Xerox printers are looking even better. Especially the free B&W toner on the color laser printers for life. Not bad

    --

    Tim Smith - Ramblings from Nerd Land
  96. Re:Screw HP by benzapp · · Score: 1

    I just fuck bitches, I don't date them. The simple reality is the pysche of women is incredibly easy to predict and manipulate to your advantage. Women are motivated by two things, emotional hunger and the desire for material wealth. If you provide both, for just a brief period of time, sex is your reward. Women do not have any creative drive, passion for life, or happiness in the infinite possibilities of existence. They do not want to write software, desire buildings, paint pictures, or write beautiful music. They desire only for a man to provide for their insatiable materistic desire, and for said man to stick his cock in her long enough that her fear of existence is momentarily extinguished.

    By emotional hunger, I mean women are unable to feel emotion on their own accord, they are parasitic in this fashion. This is why women enjoy causing chaos around them, it is a way to feed off the intense emotions of those around them. If you are a man of strong character and theatrical guile, you can impose strong emotions upon the female, especially those of archetypel origin. Of course, since most of these qualities are barbaric in nature, it can be somewhat repulsive to civilized men. Further, a strong body is necessary.

    Note, as simple evidence of this fact, the reason women do nothing but shop and watch TV is to satisfy these desires. Shopping satisfies the desire for material gain. Telvision provides the vicarious living necessary women to feel something other than the anguish of solitude. Take her shopping, buy her shit, and provide some real life drama as an escape from the tedium of TV, and her pussy is yours.

    Remember, only when your dick is inside of a female is her anxiety of life truly relieved. Of course, narcotics and benzodiazpine drugs can provide the same neurochemical effect as sexual arousal. So, be careful of women who are medicated with such drugs. Otherwise, feed on her anxiety, and bang the shit out of her.

    this post is for all men who have waste their life in service of bitches. fuck bitches.

    Peace.

    --
    I don't read or respond to AC posts
  97. Re:How could they do it? by DrVxD · · Score: 2

    > now I can stop selling stuff to minorities!
    Of course you can. Of course, if they suspect that it's motivated by their minority status, they can still try to sue you for discrimination. It's important to realise that it's discrimination that you'd be being sued for, rather than not selling the stuff.

    --
    Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.