HP’s history goes all the way back to 1939, when Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started building electronic instruments in a Palo Alto garage — often cited as the birthplace of Silicon Valley. The original Hewlett-Packard split into two companies in 2015: HP Inc. (PCs and printers) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (servers and enterprise services).
HP Inc. is one of the top three PC manufacturers globally, competing with Lenovo and Dell. The Spectre line targets premium consumers, EliteBook serves enterprise users, and the Omen brand covers gaming. HP’s Dragonfly series has earned praise for being among the lightest business ultrabooks available.
Printing remains a major part of HP’s business, though it’s a complicated one. HP sells printers at low margins (sometimes at a loss) and makes money on ink cartridges — a model that consumers increasingly resent. HP has faced backlash and lawsuits over firmware updates that block third-party ink cartridges, and the company’s ink subscription service (HP Instant Ink) attempts to make printing costs more predictable.
Despite the printer controversy, HP’s commercial printing and 3D printing divisions are growing. HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers are used for industrial manufacturing, producing everything from automotive parts to medical devices.
HP has also been making sustainability pushes, using recycled ocean-bound plastic in some products and committing to recyclable packaging. The company’s approach to repairability has improved too, with better documentation and parts availability.
With over $50 billion in annual revenue and a strong brand that remains one of the most recognized names in computing, HP Inc. continues to be a major force in personal computing and printing globally.
