HP.com is a mess. It has been for years. But I just received word via an internal HP memo that the company plans on launching a new U.S. Home & Home Office consumer store at the end of March. As the memo states, this project, code-named “Atlas”, will be “the foundation of a new HP.com experience with more visual content, more product information and better navigation.” Anything would be better than Hewlett-Packard’s current website.
We’re still trying to dig up screenshots. The leaked memo — reprinted after the jump — links to the employee purchasing program for a special price on a Folio 13. However, the link is to just a landing page and not a preview of its swanky new website that the company so desperately needs.
I could harp on HP.com all day. The homepage is fine but when you click into the meat of the site you’re greeted with an explosion of links, tabs and general chaos. But a major website redesign hints that perhaps Meg Whitman is actually righting the massive HP vessel.
Shortly after Whitman took over in the fall of 2011, the company decided to retain the Personal Systems Group rather than spinning it out to become its own company. Since then, HP debuted several memorable consumer products, cut its loses with the Touchpad and then released webOS to the open source community. The bean counters are still using red pens but up until the beginning of February, the stock price was slowly climbing back up.
A new website won’t stop HP’s downward spiral, but it’s a sign Meg & Co. are trying everything. Besides, sometimes in life, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.
U.S. HP Employees,
Thanks to the efforts of our colleagues in IT, Operations and the HP Shopping Team, the new U.S. Home & Home Office consumer store is launching. The Employee Purchase Program site is now live and the official launch for general customers will happen later in March.
Code-named “Atlas,” it is the foundation of a new HP.com experience with more visual content, more product information and better navigation. The new platform will enable our HP.com teams to bring products to market faster and make it easier to buy from HP.com.
To celebrate our big new HP.com platform we have a special offer for you.
Now through March 14, HP employees in the U.S. can visit the store’s remodeled EPP area and purchase the HP Folio 13t-1000 Notebook PC starting at $749.99 (taxes and upgrades not included) through a combination of the normal employee discount and a special coupon. Add the Folio 13t-1000 to your cart—limit of 1 per employee—hit the checkout button and then enter coupon code xxxxx when prompted.
If you already have an EPP account, those credentials will give you access to the new system. Otherwise, you’ll need to sign up. Then once you’re logged in, type Folio in the search field and select the third and last option from the search results. Remember that the price won’t reflect the coupon yet because you still need to apply the code.
On behalf of everyone at HP, we thank the Atlas Team whose long hours and diligent work are about to start paying some big dividends.
Sincerely,
Stephen
[editors note: I removed the coupon code. This deal is for HP employees. If you’re reading this email here, then you’re not an HP employee and therefore should not get the special price. Sorry, kids. I’m not going to help you game the system.]