UPDATED: HP to brand own version of the iPod

Posted on 9 Jan 2004 at 09:35

Apple and HP have announced a 'strategic alliance' to create an HP-branded music player based on the iPod.

The agreement will also see iTunes pre-installed on HP PCs. HP has found that over 54 per cent of its customers download music to their PCs, and presumably believes that the iTunes Music Store is the best way for them to do this.

As CEO Carly Fiorina explained, 'We explored a range of alternatives to deliver a great digital music experience and concluded Apple's iPod music player and iTunes music service were the best by far. By partnering with Apple, we have the opportunity to add value by integrating the world's best digital music offering into HP's larger digital entertainment system strategy.'

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that, 'Apple's goal is to get iPods and iTunes into the hands of every music lover around the world, and partnering with HP, an innovative consumer company, is going to help us do just that.' Having scanned his thesaurus he added, 'As the industry balkanises by offering digital music wrapped in a multitude of incompatible proprietary technologies, consumers will be reassured in getting the same unparalleled digital music solutions from both HP and Apple, two leaders in the digital music era.'

Depending on whose figures you look at, HP is either the biggest or the second biggest (after Dell) PC manufacturer in the world with around 20 per cent market share. Its version of the iPod is expected in the summer when iTunes will be pre-installed on Pavilion, Media Center and Compaq Presario desktops and notebooks.

UPDATE: Apple senior vce president Philip Schiller told C|Net that the rebranded iPod will come in an 'HP blue' casing but will display an Apple logo at startup and will work with all iPod accessories.

Author: Simon Aughton