After seeing many business customers deploying its consumer-focused all-in-one models and wishing for more robust options, Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) has announced the HP Compaq 6000 Pro All-in-One business PC.
The vendor’s first enterprise class all-in-one, the 6000 Pro will be shipping in the Canadian market by mid-August with pricing starting at $999, and rising depending on configuration options. Unlike HP’s other all-in-ones, the 6000 Pro has been specifically designed to meet business requirements said Maria Del Rio-Arbuckle, category business manager for business desktops with HP Canada.
“It truly addresses more of the business market requirements,” said Del Rio-Arbuckle. “It’s designed for corporate customers, and particularly verticals such as government, health care and education.”
The all-in-one form factor has already proven popular with business customers, said Del Rio-Arbuckle, who had made it the fastest growing PC segment for HP’s business customers. Now instead of having to opt for a consumer model, the 6000 Pro will offer enterprise-class security tools, a 3-3-3 warranty, HP’s SkyRoom video conferencing software, and 15 to 18 months of product availability from HP compared to the shorter support period typical on consumer models.
While an all-in-one may not be the right choice for every business end user, Del Rio-Arbuckle said there are a number of advantages to the form factor that many businesses find compelling. By using up to 50 per cent less space than a traditional desktop and monitor, there can be significant space savings. And by drawing as little as 34 watts, power consumption can be cut in half as well. For IT, all-in-ones are much more plug-and-play from a deployment perspective, and offer common image management with other HP offerings. And it’s a good desktop option for those organizations that, for security reasons, don’t want to issue laptops to their workers.
“I see it in computer labs in schools, and in hospitals at a nursing station or in a patient examination room,” said Del Rio-Arbuckle. “And in many large businesses, desk space is becoming a concern and real estate is getting smaller.”
Customers can choose different Intel Core 2 Duo processor options, between Windows 7 Professional 32 or 64-bit, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and hard drives up to 1TB and an optional 80GB SSD. The 6000 Pro features a 21.5” full HD LED backlit HP BrightView LCD screen with dual display capability, as well as a 16x Max SuperMulti optical drive and slim-tray DVD burner. It includes seven USB ports, a FireWire port, a six-in-one memory card reader, and optional XMX graphics and optional TV tuner.
“I think this is really a tremendous opportunity for our partners,” said Del Rio-Arbuckle. “The commercial all-in-one market is growing very fast. We’re seeing rising customer demand and we’re looking to work with our partners to tap their capacity and help them leverage the opportunity.”
Follow Jeff Jedras on Twitter: @JeffJedrasCDN.
