HP never sold computers until they bought Compaq and took over its computer
business. Their traditional product line started with calculators but has
always been heavy on printers and scanners. Their decision to get out of the
personal computer business was announced in August; discussion (including a
quotation of HP's official statement) at
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-Notebook-PC-questions/hp-will-stop-making-laptops/td-p/846857.
For one reaction, see
http://techandfilm.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/how-hps-decision-to-stop-making-computers-will-effect-you-and-your-next-computer-purchase/. I
don't know whether that's encouraging or not; my husband loved his IBM
ThinkPad but hasn't been tempted to buy a Lenovo.
In the case of the HP laptop I bought, there was a specific model number
advertised by Staples that I could find on the HP site and get a spec sheet
on, so I probably knew as much about it as if I'd configured it myself. This
turned out to be the sane approach for me in this case because, although
I've had several desktops and feel I know what I need and don't need, this
was my first laptop, and I found it hard to decide between portability and
power: size, weight, battery life, etc. I ended up with a very well-specced
machine that is not killingly heavy or insanely huge (17") but definitely
not featherweight or pocket-sized, and it does run rather hot and only for
two hours or less on battery. I rarely use it in situations where I can't
either plug it in or recharge it frequently, so that has not been too much
of a disadvantage; I could get a battery that would last twice as long, but
it would also be twice as heavy, so I passed on that. Next time I buy a
laptop (which will be many years down the road), I might make different
choices.
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