If the company that sells more PCs worldwide than anyone else is really planning to exit the business, then it will probably be safe to say that the post-PC era is in full swing. HP (NYSE: HPQ) plans to spin off its PC business, according to two separate reports, in a decision that could be announced as early as today.
Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported that HP is planning to get rid of the group, which shipped 14 million units worldwide during the second quarter, good for 17 percent market share and a strong lead over Dell. It’s not clear what would happen to its WebOS group, which was recently reorganized under former PC group leader Stephen DeWitt.
HP reports its quarterly earnings after the close of the stock market later today.
After successfully digesting Compaq, HP became the most prolific PC vendor on the planet with a well-timed shift to solid notebook design while Dell floundered amid accounting scandals and a lack of focus. However, both companies have struggled to make the shift to what Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs calls the “post-PC era,,” a time in which the most interesting and sought-after computing devices are not PCs but smartphones and tablets.
HP bought Palm in order to get into the mobile market, and as recently as February had said that it planned to bring Palm’s WebOS to its PC division by layering it over Windows. However, it would seem plans have changed drastically under new CEO Leo Apotheker if HP is considering dropping the unit altogether. The company has definitely been more focused on its enterprise software and services business over the last several years, and plans to add to that business with a $10 billion purchase of Autonomy, according to the reports.

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