Happy days
Hewlett-Packard's relatively new CEO, Leo Apotheker has revealed the firm's plans to push into software and cloud computing.
HP said it is starting a cloud service that allows developers create apps using HP tools that run on HP servers, Bloomberg reported.
Apotheker also apparently said it intends to roll out its WebOS mobile software to a wider range of products and increase output to around 100m devices every year.
Apotheker reportedly said: "Everything that we do in the future will be delivered as a service. It's the first time HP is trying to put all of the elements of what it's doing together."
He apparently aims to boost the amount of HP products working together and increasingly move into software markets currently dominated by IBM and Oracle, which he reckons could make HP's products more enticing to business customers.
Apotheker's approach of revenue growth is a very different one from that suggested by HP's former CEO, Mark Hurd, who focused on cost-cutting.
It is thought that HP's shares slumped by 10 percent since Hurd's resignation last summer and analysts predict that sales growth will be slower in 2011 and 2012 than under Hurd's rule.
However, in a move sure to be popular with investors, HP is hiking its dividend by 50 percent.The firm has apparently increased its quarterly dividend for the first time in 13 years to 12 cents per share from 8 cents.
HP's Cathie Lesjak reportedly revealed that HP will continue to be an ‘active acquirer' and focus on the growth o its cloud products. Apparently the firm will build and acquire the software it needs to help developers write and run apps on its cloud service via an online shop.
Apotheker reportedly said: "Any developer can deliver his or her innovation to either the consumer, the enterprise or the small and midsize business. HP has the ambition of being in all layers of the cloud."
He also said there is a possibility that HP might let other firms distribute their software via its cloud proposition.
Of course one of HP's relatively recent and prominent acquisitions was of Palm and Apotheker reportedly plans to make better use of the WebOS software as it will be installed on every HP PC shipped by 2012, which will also run Windows.
