Compaq Computer Corp.’s Tru64 Unix operating system and Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Netserver IA-32 servers, Jornada handhelds and Omnibook notebooks are among the products being phased out as a result of HP’s acquisition of Compaq, the companies said May 7 as they unveiled the product road map of the new HP.
HP will now be the master brand for all of the merged companies’ products, but the Compaq brand will be kept alive in the PC portfolio.
All of HP’s professional desktop and notebook products will migrate to the Compaq brand in the next nine to 12 months, HP said. The HP Vectra line will be phased out, as will HP’s Omnibook products. HP’s e-pc products will survive and continue being sold under the HP name, the company said.
Compaq’s Presario and HP’s Pavilion line of consumer PCs will compete side by side in countries where both are strong, such as Canada, said Rob Ireland, an HP Canada spokesman. HP said only one line will be offered in some regions. HP plans to focus on the two brands’ individual strengths, touting Compaq’s wireless and home networking features and HP’s digital imaging tools.
Compaq’s popular iPaq Pocket PC will be renamed the HP iPaq Pocket PC, while HP’s own Jornada handheld line will be phased out. The Compaq iPaq Blackberry will be retained, under the HP name.
Compaq’s Tru64 Unix operating system will be eliminated in favour of HP’s HP-UX, which will incorporate some Tru64 features such as clustering tools and file system technology. HP-UX’s larger installed base and broader ISV (independent software vendor) network led to the decision, HP said.
HP still plans to release the next generation of Compaq’s Alpha processor, currently used in Tru64 systems, and support these products for several years, said Michael Winkler, executive vice president of worldwide operations at HP, in an interview.
