HP honcho Bradley: Post-PC world claim "just wrong"

20.09.2012

PCW: What's your forecast on mobile printing as more people use smartphones and tablets that are tethered to a printer?

Bradley: When it comes to printing and mobility services, we feel very well positioned. HP introduced the world's first web-enabled printer back in 2009, and we continue to roll out new web-enabled print services to make mobile printing easy. HP was the first to give printers their own ePrint email address so you can print to virtually anywhere, including public print locations; and with the HP ePrint app you essentially have a print button right on your smartphone.

PCW: You've talked a lot about printing from smartphones. How popular is printing from a smartphone and do you see it as a growing niche.

Bradley: I don't think we call it a niche. Clearly there is an opportunity there that further enhances the relevance of printing. A lot of work we do is making people more aware of what we offer.

We've seen mostly documents being printed. One cut of the data shows 70 to 30 in favor of documents with the balance being photos. It's a bit opposite of what we traditionally think of home printing. The products are not just for taking pictures but for managing documents as well.