A bevy of new printers, scanners, digital cameras, and home entertainment devices were announced Monday by Hewlett-Packard Co. as it gears up for the holiday season, confirming news that first came to light on Friday.
HP designed its new products with the hope of simplifying the use of technology by consumers overwhelmed with complicated instructions and frustrated by technical support experiences, HP said in a press release. In addition to the more than 100 products announced Monday, HP announced a support program called Total Care.
Total Care promises faster response times to support questions, more online resources for harried consumers, and local PC repair services provided in partnership with Best Buy Co. Inc. stores in the U.S. The program will use HP customer support staff that will receive 12 to 14 weeks of technical training before taking support calls, which will improve resolution rates, according to HP.
“A year and a half ago … we said our consumer strategy was to provide a simple, rewarding experience,” said Carly Fiorina, chairman and chief executive officer of HP, during a conference call Monday. “(This is) digital technology that works where you want it, how you want it, and when you want it.”
The Palo Alto, California, company bolstered the most profitable division of its company with new printing and imaging products. HP’s new printers and digital cameras were designed with the goal of improving the quality of digital images printed at home. Three new printers, two new cameras, a new scanner, and even new paper will help consumers duplicate high-quality film images without having to visit a photo lab, the company said.
More people bought digital cameras during the last holiday shopping season than bought traditional cameras, but the technology is still confusing to many users, Fiorina said. A recent study sponsored by chip vendor Advanced Micro Devices Inc. concluded that digital cameras are the most confusing product for consumers to set up and use.
HP will also release new products for digital home entertainment, including a DVD burner that converts VHS videotapes into DVDs, and a new Pavilion notebook that allows consumers to process digital images, video, and audio on a widescreen notebook, it said.
With business customers still holding back on new technology purchases, HP is betting that consumer digital imaging and home entertainment will show the most growth over the rest of the year. The new products will be released over the coming weeks and months, during the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.