HP
"Workstations and endpoints."
The story
Bill Hewlett and David Packard, electrical engineering graduates from Stanford University, founded HP in 1939 in a modest one-car garage in Palo Alto, California, during the Great Depression. Guided by their former professor Frederick Terman, they began with a capital investment of just $538. The company's name was decided by a coin toss, establishing Hewlett-Packard.
Their first significant product was the HP 200A, a precision audio oscillator that utilized an incandescent light bulb for stability. Its innovative design allowed it to be sold for a fraction of competitors' prices, around $89.40. A pivotal moment came in 1938 when Walt Disney Studios placed a large order for eight HP 200B oscillators for the animated film 'Fantasia', providing the financial impetus to formally establish the company.
HP rapidly grew beyond its humble beginnings, becoming an influential high-tech company renowned for its products and the progressive "HP Way" business philosophy. From early electronic test and measurement equipment, HP expanded into a wide array of hardware components, software, and services, becoming a global leader in information technology.
Challenges along the way
HP faced significant challenges, particularly in the 2010s, stemming from a rapid series of acquisitions that created considerable turmoil within the company. While the merger with Compaq in 2002 was a major industry event, subsequent large acquisitions, such as Electronic Data Systems and Autonomy Corp, did not always yield the expected positive results. These integrations proved difficult, leading to a decline in the company's fortunes and ultimately culminating in its split into two separate entities in 2015, marking a complex period of strategic struggle and reorganization.
Major milestones
- 1939Hewlett-Packard Company was formally established after securing a key contract with Walt Disney.
- 1966HP entered the computer market with the introduction of the HP 2100/HP 1000 series of minicomputers.
- 1968HP introduced the Hewlett-Packard 9100A, recognized as the world's first device called a personal computer.
- 1972The world's first handheld scientific electronic calculator, the HP-35, was introduced.
- 1984HP introduced its first inkjet and laser printers for the desktop market.
- 1984United States PatentFig. 8Droplet ejection system (inkjet)US 4,463,359Read filing ↗
- 1999HP spun off its test and measurement instruments business to form Agilent Technologies and Carly Fiorina became CEO.
- 2002HP merged with Compaq in a major industry deal, diversifying its product portfolio.
- 2015The company officially split into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise due to organizational challenges.
Prototypes & people
Currently stocked
