Hewlett-Packard is showing a renewed interest in the iPod, announcing the first computer with a built-in docking area for the device and saying that it will soon offer a branded version of the iPod photo.
HP said it is planning to add a spot for the iPod in its new Media Center m7000 desktop PC. The computer “doesn’t have a dock itself, but rather features a molded piece of plastic that fits around Apple’s own dock to allow the device to gracefully dock atop the PC,” according to CNET News.com’s Ina Fried.
Siobhan O’Connor, HP’s vice president of consumer brand and marketing, said that the company will be releasing new HP-branded iPods in the coming weeks, including an HP version of the iPod photo as former CEO Carly Fiorina said in January. “Expect us to have, like we did with the original products, a very similar lineup to what Apple has,” O’Connor said.
HP has recently been criticized for not taking full advantage of its partnership with Apple. Goldman Sachs said HP needs to make “substantial changes” in its relationship with Apple and that “HP’s iPod sales are likely to decline markedly over the next few quarters unless HP is able to bring out new iPod models in a more timely manner.” The firm says HP could drop from 7% of Apple’s iPod shipments in the December quarter to 2% in the March quarter.