14 DAY TRIAL // The recent announcement on HP's part that it was backing out of the PC market took the IT industry by storm, enough so that the company saw the need to step forth and try to put at least some of the ensuing rumors to rest.
HP is known for many things, including the fact that it is, at the moment, the world's greatest supplier of PCs.
As such, one would expect it to build on this status, not suddenly decide to back out of the segment altogether.
Nonetheless, this is exactly what happened, prompting many a person and company, even HP's own former director, to react with varying measures of shock and disbelief.
One hypothesis raised over the past week was that Samsung would be the one to buy HP's PC business.
The company stepped forth and denied that it had such designs, although this didn't outright quell all speculations.
Now, HP itself has stated that it would prefer to spin off the personal computing division instead of outright selling it to the highest bidder.
"We prefer a spin-off as a separate company and the working hypotheses is that a spin-off will be in the best interests of HP's shareholders, customers and employees. However, we have to complete the diligence process and validate this assumption, including fully understanding the dis-synergies in separating the PSG business from HP," a spokeswoman for HP said.
If HP does go ahead with its CEO's current plans, it will attempt to turn into an enterprise software provider like oracle and IBM.
What remains is to see if this transformation manages to turn the company into a profitable enough venture that will offset the huge costs associated with such a massive transition.
No doubt much of the IT industry will continue to criticize the decision if the company goes through with everything it set its mind on.