In the world of school playground metaphors, Apple is the kid who’s a month or two older than everyone else, wears designer clothes, and as all the friends. Meanwhile, HP is…
Let’s just say HP is like the kid who tries to make friends by showing people its bellybutton.
Yeah, pretty much when people think of “cool” tech companies, Apple is the only one to come to mind. It’s kind of a subconscious thing now, saying another company is or isn’t as cool as Apple.
You know who gets that? Leo Apotheker, the man who’s still breaking in the CEO office at HP HQ. In an interview with the BBC last week, he revealed some envy against the fruit-named company.
“I hope one day people will say ‘this is as cool as HP’, not ‘as cool as Apple’,” he said. Of course, as he went on to note, HP has just as much technological prowess – if not more – than Apple. Yet it’s the Apple marketing machine that has managed to make that company so powerful.
HP has had a lot of problems in the past. Its scandals range from illegally wiretapping technology journalists to the former CEO being slammed with a sexual harassment lawsuit.
But it has never really been deemed “cool.” People buy HP printers and cameras. The company has a good solid line of reputable, cost-friendly products and it has a pretty good market cap. But that’s not enough for Apotheker.
The goal is a lofty one, and one that may not be attainable. But it’s nice to see a company that’s so old and stale in many people’s minds to tackle such an initiative. It’s a good start.
