HP has stepped up its game with the Z1, a massive, all-in-one workstation that features a 27-inch display, and one that, to boot, can snap open for easy upgrading.
The Hewlett-Packard brand
isn't generally synonymous with game-changing. Reliable and solid, sure. But
creative professionals looking for the fireworks-bringing devices may be more
likely to look toward Apple.
However, with its newest all-in-one
workstation, introduced Feb. 14, HP has, as it's quick to point out, created a
world first: an all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch display, on the diagonal.
Arguably cooler still: The
display snaps open, without the need for any tools, making it possible for users
to upgrade parts, add a hard drive or access the graphics cardin short, to
easily extend the life of their investment.
HP would also like for you
to know that the Z1 is "blazingly fast," "whisper quiet"
and offers an "optimized visual and computing performance," all of
which it hopes will attract new customers to the brand.
The HP Z1 runs Intel Xeon
processors, Nvidia Quadro graphicswith support for more than 1 billion colorsand
features Remote Graphics Software, enabling remote users to access the Z1's
handy performance with 3D and video.
Storage options include 7.2K
and 10K Serial ATA, solid-state drive (SSD) optional RAID configurations,
removable drives, a multi-format media card reader and optical drive options,
not the least of which is a slot-load Blu-ray Writer.
There are front-facing
dual-cone speakers with SRS Premium Sound, a high-definition Webcam that can
also capture HD-quality video and, should the machine seem in need of a
tune-up, HP Performance Advisor software, said to eliminate the need for
troubleshooting by providing a report of the Z1's hardware and software
configurations.
The Z1 is intended for
engineers, architects, videographers and other creative professionals working
in robust programs. Attracting a few is certainly a good idea.
HP led the worldwide PC
market during the fourth quarter of 2011, shipping 14.7 million PCs to
second-ranking Lenovo's 12.9 million. Lenovo, however, posted 23 percent
year-on-year growth, and third-ranking Dell grew by 7.8 percent while HP
posted a decline of 16.2 percent. HP also held its top-shipping title in the
United States, though again posted a major year-on-year loss of 26.1 percent,
while No. 2 Dell dipped by 4.5 percent and No. 3 Apple posted 20.7 percent
growth, according
to figures from Gartner.
Research firm Canalys,
however, which includes tablet shipments in its PC totals, gave top billing to
Apple, with shipments of 15 million iPads; this made the Mac maker the No. 1 PC
vendor during the quarter.
"Now the second-largest
client PC vendor worldwide," said the Canalys report, "HP will
struggle to compete with Apple following the end of its TouchPad."
HP, under former-CEO Leo
Apotheker, considered spinning off its PC division, but new CEO
Meg Whitman reversed the decision, announcing in an Oct. 2011 statement
that she believed the decision was "right for customers and partners,
right for shareholders and right for employees."
Whitman added that HP is
"committed to [its Personal Systems Group], and together we are stronger.
This week, HP also introduced
two new thin-clients for enterprise customers, the
HP t510 and the HP 610. Both feature dual-core Advanced Micro Devices CPUs and
ship standard with twice the RAM of previous models.
The Z1 will begin shipping
worldwide in April, starting at $1,899.
Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.
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