HP says “better together” at its Amplify 2023 Partner Conference

HP last week at its Amplify Partner Conference in Chicago unveiled several new productivity-focused laptops, along with a few peripherals, including printers and truly wireless headphones.

However, the Amplify event wasn’t just about new products. Emphasis was placed on HP’s environmental commitment and the company’s position that 80% of employees prefer to spend time in the office.

According to HP’s research on the future of work, below-average technology expertise is the most significant barrier to implementing hybrid working.

Extensive Product Updates

HP is positioning the new HP EliteBook 800 and 805 G10 series computers as cutting-edge business convertible computers. These EliteBooks start at $1,569 and feature a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and HP Presence technology.

HP Presence provides innovative technology powered by an advanced proximity sensor located in the PC frame, which detects the user’s presence and triggers the camera and Windows Hello to confirm, identify and unlock the PC.

Additionally, midrange HP EliteBook 600 and 605 G10 computers start at $999 and come with next-generation Intel or AMD processors. The HP ProBook 400 and 405 G10 series PCs are the most affordable work PCs, starting at $799 with AMD and Intel processor options.

At the event, HP introduced the ZBook Firefly G10 and ZBook Power G10 with Intel Evo certification in the ZBook family.

The HP ZBook Fury G10 is the most powerful workstation in this series, featuring a series of 13th Gen Intel HX processors with Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada Lovelace Generation laptop GPU, meant to deliver fast rendering of 3D models and running simulations. The ZBook Studio G10 is a high-end workstation with an Intel Core i9 processor and an Nvidia RTX Ada Generation laptop GPU.

Along with new computers, HP also unveiled a new pair of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) solutions called the Poly Voyager Free 60 with certifications for use with Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Audio solutions designed by TWS allow users to enjoy true stereo sound quality without the use of cords or wires. At a starting price of $229, it comes in three variants that include an optional but handy touchscreen charging case.

Along with the Poly Studio X series of video bars and the Poly G7500 modular video conferencing system, HP has also released Poly Video OS 4.0, certified for use with Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

At the Amplify Partner Conference, HP also unveiled a few accessories, including the HP 920/925 Ergonomic Vertical Mouse, which goes on sale this month for $109, and the HP 4K USB-C Multiport Hub, which will go on sale this month. on sale in May for $79. .

Commitment to distribution partners

HP took advantage of the Amplify Partner event to announce that it will be adding Poly, Teradici and HyperX product lines to its Amplify Partner program.

This smart move will help its channel partners take advantage of the breadth of HP’s growing product portfolio. HP also announced that it will increase compensation for qualified partners who sell a wider variety of products, including those from Poly, as well as an element to encourage more partners to participate in the vendor’s Amplify Impact campaign, which highlights emphasis on sustainability.

When its Amplify program expands this fall to incorporate acquisitions of video conferencing company Poly, remote computer software provider Teradici and gaming accessory maker HyperX, HP believes these new businesses will generate additional revenue prospects. for distribution partners.

These channel opportunities are expected to expand as HP plans to increase program benefits and services for distributors by adding new vendor partners to Amplify.

With HP’s recent acquisitions integrated with Amplify, a wider range of goods and services previously covered by separate programs from Poly, Teradici and HyperX will now be eligible for program benefits and resources. As a result, Partners will have additional opportunities to qualify for Amplify’s Power and Power Services Tier, which offers increased benefits.

With these changes, it’s clear that HP wants its channel partners to benefit from enhanced program components that drive increased engagement with partners who consistently sell across HP’s broad portfolio of products and solutions. This way, partners won’t have to switch programs between HP and its most recent acquisitions, including Poly.

Obviously, HP wants to make it easier to do business with HP, as the complexity could present a challenge for partners who market these different product lines. To that end, one of the important themes echoed by HP at the event is that channel partner feedback fuels every change the company undertakes.

Adapt to market conditions

Let’s face it: like its competitors, HP is going through a major post-pandemic downturn in the PC space. Despite sluggish market conditions, there is optimism that Windows 11 should trigger a much-needed upgrade cycle, especially in enterprise and enterprise markets.

At the start of the conference, HP CEO Enrique Lores said with refreshing candor that it could be several quarters, until 2024, before a significant market rebound occurs.

Additionally, the era of electronic documents, boosted by the smartphone, has pushed HP’s vaunted printing business into a relatively stable position over the past six years. The company reported printer segment revenue of $18.9 billion in 2022, down from its 2008 peak of $29.6 billion.

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Despite this inevitable revenue erosion, due in large part to the cannibalistic effect of smartphones and other connected devices, HP is to be commended for innovations such as its highly successful Instant Ink subscription program, a new line of laser printers eco-friendly solutions that reduce energy consumption by 30%, and its reduction of plastic packaging components by 78%. Through these efforts, HP has managed to maintain the relevance of its printer business, which is no easy task.

HP also announced new color laser products for small businesses, dubbed the HP Color LaserJet 4200/4300, which are more compact than existing models and pre-configured to manage print settings on the fly.

Its new Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000/6000 offers similar enhancements for business office environments with heavy daily printing needs. The ability of these new printers to make light changes to printable documents directly from the printer without a PC is particularly intriguing.

Remote PC Management, Security

During the Amplify event, HP continued to show off its tech chops with further improvements on the PC security front with HP Wolf Connect.

Only available in its line of business laptops, HP Wolf Connect allows IT managers to track, lock, manage and wipe remote laptop drives even when powered off. This capability is aided by built-in technology that works with a low-power cellular radio, ensuring the device is accessible when the laptop is turned off or not connected to the internet.

With hybrid working unlikely to change in the next few years, if ever, this level of security and asset management should be very attractive to cost-conscious CIOs and CSOs.

It’s also easy to imagine that this feature will come to HP’s consumer product line at some point, as content creators and SMB users buying consumer PCs will appreciate this feature, even at a premium price. .

“Better together” is not just a slogan

Despite the market uncertainty, I think HP deserves credit for doing everything possible to ensure that the company has positioned itself appropriately to exploit the growth opportunity that will present itself when the market for PC will return to a healthier position.

Integration progress with the Poly and HyperX acquisitions appears to be paying initial dividends at the product and channel partner program level. With more than 85% of HP’s overall revenue coming from channel partners, leveraging these new acquisitions for cross-selling opportunities holds tremendous potential. Nevertheless, simplifying and reducing the bureaucracy of channel programs should be a high priority. HP seems to understand that “failure is not an option” business fact.

HP likes to use the “Better Together” mantra to highlight features that users can benefit from when different devices interact seamlessly, as is the case with HP’s new HyperX and Poly headset solutions that don’t require dongle for unusual outputs. box pairing.

Because of its comprehensive product portfolio, HP is one of the few companies other than Apple that can make “Better Together” more than just a marketing slogan. Finally, HP has a huge opportunity to change the very nature of how the PC is viewed.

At the conference, Alex Cho, president of the Personal Systems business at HP, argued that the term “laptop” is obsolete due to mobile “studio” attributes, for example, high-quality video conferencing with professional audio quality, which laptops are now often used for.

I strongly agree with Cho, and this new philosophical positioning of what we now call a laptop computer has huge implications for the industry. We can look back a few years and see that’s when the laptop evolution began.