A new rumor suggests HP may have considered selling its PC business, with Samsung lined up as the most likely buyer. The report comes from DigiTimes and is sourced from an article in the Chinese financial paper Commercial Times. DigiTimes claims that rumors to this effect have been circulating in Taiwan since last year, however, and suggests that a sale is no longer on the table. Citing sources from upstream component makers, the report claims “the deal was called off due to an unknown reason, and there has not been any follow up since then.” The original report also noted that Lenovo was a possible buyer and even suggests Foxconn might have shown interest in the business. HP has aggressive plans to include webOS on every PC it sells beginning next year. With such an incredible in-road to users, it would seem odd for HP to even briefly consider selling off its PC business.
UPDATE: HP issued the following statement on Thursday regarding the Commercial Times report: “Irresponsible reporting by Taiwan’s Commercial Times, suggesting that HP might sell its PC business, should be dismissed as market rumor and speculation. HP runs the world’s largest PC business and it is core to HP’s strategy for the connected world.”
