The company’s innovation is the focus of a brand-new conference called HP Imagine. Stella Low, the HP Chief Digital and Transformation Officer, and her team presented a significant amount of innovation last week in a top-notch manner. Among the presentations I’ve ever seen, it ranks among the best.
Due to its frequent overhyping, innovation is a challenging subject. Since innovation carries risk, buyers don’t really want it, but they do need it to solve problems that haven’t been adequately or completely solved.
Since HP’s event was a showcase of cutting-edge technologies that captured people’s imaginations, using the word “imagine” rather than “innovation” helped the effort stand out. In doing so, it brought attention to the distinction between innovation that is used properly and innovation that serves no purpose.
As we deal with the consequences of the hybrid workplace and the challenges of managing and equipping a dispersed workforce over the next few years, what HP presented should put the company ahead of its rivals.
Enrique Lores, CEO of HP, and his executive group never cease to astonish me. They consistently exhibit cohesion and a shared dedication to resolving some of the most infuriating issues clients of all sizes encounter.
Workforce Central, one of the most intriguing and imaginative innovations, was unveiled by HP VP of Product Management Mike Nash. In order to improve productivity with remote workers, HP developed Workforce Central, and it is now making it available to its clients and partners.
This week, let’s talk about HP Imagine 2023. The HP Envy Move, which is currently my favorite product for people who work from home, will round out our discussion. This device is ideal for people who work from home but also need to manage their children, pets, aging relatives, or simply want to be mobile and productive at home.
How To Demonstrate Innovation
Contextualization is a big part of what makes presenting a new product set difficult. In order to position their offerings as a solution that addresses customers’ problems, the majority of vendors spend most of their time pitching the individual parts of a solution and very little time actually demonstrating the problems that need to be resolved.
Even though we are aware that building a working large language model can cost many multiples of what the hardware costs to purchase, if you want AI, just buy our servers, PCs, controllers, and workstations and somehow, magically, the result will be an AI. A vendor should ideally highlight how their products can improve the productivity and effectiveness of their business by presenting them as parts of a solution.
HP essentially adopted this strategy. It did so by citing surveys that showed over 27% of workers were extremely dissatisfied and thought poorly of hybrid work. Employee retention, productivity, and work-life balance are all clearly impacted by this dissatisfaction.
The presentation also made clear that using AI as it is currently done in the cloud costs 80% more than it should. Therefore, HP’s solutions address both problems by improving financial efficiency and raising employee productivity, all while preserving work-life balance and job satisfaction.
Live, work, and dream, says Alex Cho
HP is at the forefront of the AI era thanks to Alex Cho, who oversees the company’s PC division. He talked about how creating and utilizing AI solutions at the edge is significantly more cost-effective, which is essential in achieving the previously mentioned cost reduction of 80%.
For those attempting to incorporate computer scientists into an AI creation workflow process that also included the internal customers for the resulting offering, HP’s AI workflow offering was a very close second-best option. Nvidia was emphasized by HP as a creation partner, despite the fact that many people only see it as a component supplier. Nvidia is second only to IBM in terms of AI expertise. However, even IBM recognizes the benefits of Nvidia and collaborates with it.
The true competitive advantage of Nvidia in AI is not in its products, but rather in its decades of experience building effective AI models. This expertise is a crucial advantage that HP is leveraging, especially in light of the high costs associated with developing AI as opposed to the hardware.
While that was impressive, HP also demonstrated how it is enabling HP peripherals to connect to HP PCs automatically, a move that has received positive feedback from HP customers and resembles an Apple-like strategy.
Another idea that made me tear up a little while watching this presentation was how these new remote rules are making it difficult for people, especially introverts and people who are new to the corporate world, to connect with peers and managers.
Clearly, HP wants to make sure that those whose voices are being silenced are given their due within their organizations. “A thought is never lost when a voice is found,” was the idea put forth to us. “.
Because so many people who should be heard aren’t, I felt compelled to do something about it because I also worry that work-from-home policies and other poor engagement practices are isolating too many people—one would be too many—from society.
The team matters, not the machine, according to Dave Shull
I had the opportunity to speak with Dave Shull about his opinions on leading a remote workforce after HP acquired Poly. He used a set of best practices with his own hybrid team, including making social interactions required. He would encourage them to interact in person more frequently if they were having difficulty with remote work so that they could get over their feelings of loneliness.
Shull discussed the need for a vision and the use of tools like HP’s Collaboration Services to better ensure that all team members in a hybrid environment could feel included, engaged, and become more productive while better ensuring an appropriate work-life balance.
He also explained how the rental of conference rooms should be more of a subscription service so that users wouldn’t constantly have to deal with someone messing with the setup and rendering the room useless due to disconnected cables or broken equipment.
Shull went on to discuss how metrics can be used to optimize the workforce by monitoring employee satisfaction and ensuring the best working environment.
Regarding sustainability, he discussed the implementation of Concept Luna, a concept I first saw from Dell. He emphasized that users not looking for the newest technology could view future HP refurbished PCs as equal to new ones, marking a significant step in promoting reuse and recycling. Renew Solutions is the name of the process that will push HP to create ever-more sustainable and upgradable computers.
Shull also talked about how to better equip workers by using information on their work. By incorporating this information into their website, they may be able to provide consumers and small businesses with much clearer guidance regarding PC selection.
He stressed the importance of HP Wolf Security and provided a personal illustration of its advantages in closing. Shull was able to locate, turn on, and wipe the data from his laptop that he had left at the airport. HP’s desire to dominate that market as the most secure PC vendor is highlighted by HP Wolf Security, which is exclusive to the sector.
‘On Fire’: Printer Innovation, according to Tuan Tran
Being “on fire” is a good thing in this scenario. By offering new printers that are faster and more energy-efficient across all market segments, Tran hopes to turn the declining printing industry back into one that is growing.
Large format printers, industrial graphics printers, 3D printers (metal and plastic), and latex printers are just a few of the printing technologies in which HP has made advancements. Using wall coverings and other decorations in addition to cars and commercial vehicles, these latex printers have the potential to revolutionize the wrap industry.
At this event, the Robotic Site Printer was one of the most intriguing announcements. This tool helps building contractors precisely position building components before construction even starts by turning a blueprint into a physical layout on a slab or floor.
This little robot has the potential to revolutionize construction by drastically lowering build errors when linked to a metaverse digital twin building effort. This would have resolved a significant issue with my first significant project, which was in commercial development, which was one of my first jobs.
Given the nature of printing and the associated consumables, the printing industry probably leads the sector in sustainability efforts. In this, HP is still a pioneer. This event was notable for its 3D printing collaboration, which highlighted a line of Brooks shoes with cleverly constructed 3D-printed soles.
As an intriguing side note, about 20 years ago I followed a team that split off from Microsoft and founded a shoe company with computer-generated designs. I once created a pair of custom shoes that are still in my possession, but the business failed because 3D printers weren’t around at the time, and the shoes were more expensive than they were willing to pay.
Clearly, HP has found a cost vs. With this 3D printing technology, there is a price issue.
We’re done now.
At the conclusion of the HP Imagine 2023 event, Mike Nash met with me and walked me through the Workforce Central platform from HP, which is unquestionably the best workforce management tool I’ve ever used.
Manpower Management was the subject of my second degree. When I was in school, we fantasized about and worked to develop a tool that would better equip workers and manage their resources in order to increase productivity and employee satisfaction.
Nash showed that this is now possible with proper data capture and an increasingly effective use of AI, even though the technology at the time wasn’t up to the task. Although the initiative is still in its early stages, HP’s employees are already benefiting from it, and users of the platform are eager to use it.
In the end, HP continues to stand out because it prioritizes ensuring the strength of its customers and employees above all else, which is evident in the way HP approaches issues and develops solutions. It involves more than just selling products. For HP, its partners, and its clients, it is ensuring a workforce that is stronger, more effective, productive, engaged, healthy, and happy.
Just wish more businesses had this as a priority. We would live in a better world if they did.
All-in-one PC from HP Envy Move
When working from home, we must be flexible because we must multitask while keeping an eye on the kids, the pets, or simply move as the seasons change to get the best indoor or outdoor experience. A laptop is good, but the compromise in screen size is problematic. It must be transportable enough to move from one place to another without requiring an airplane.
For times when you might need to work on the go or in an RV, the HP Envy Move is a 23.08-inch portable all-in-one PC with a 4-hour battery life. It’s interesting to note that the users HP consulted when defining the product also desired bathroom compatibility so they could stream television programs while taking a bath.
The Envy Move consequently combines a 23.08-inch streaming TV with a portable piece. It has a built-in handle that can support 9 lbs. a stand that extends when you set it down, a keyboard that tucks into a pocket on the back, and a carry weight. It won’t break the bank at just under $900. Only thing missing is a black version.
The HP Envy Move is my Product of the Week because it comes the closest to what I believe should be the best PC for people working from home who want a bigger screen but don’t really need a laptop.