SAN JOSE, Calif. – Hewlett-Packard Co. unveiled its own version of the iPod portable music player Friday, showing the fruits of a groundbreaking partnership it previously announced with Apple Computer Inc.
HP is now taking orders for the player, which it has dubbed the Apple iPod from HP. The product is a replica of Apple’s latest models of the popular white 20-gigabyte and 40-gigabyte iPods but carries the HP brand instead.
The licensing deal, which was announced this past January, is a break from Apple’s usual isolationist stance and should help it capitalize on the broad retail reach of HP, the world’s largest computer printer maker and second-largest PC maker.
For HP, working with Apple, the leader in portable music players and online music store sales, gives it a quick foothold in the digital music space. “Clearly, Apple has done a great job of making the iPod popular, but we have a wide distribution globally, so it’ll really help in driving up the volume,” said Vyomesh Joshi, an HP executive vice president.
The price will be $299 for the 20-gigabyte model, or $399 for the 40-gigabyte model, matching Apple’s current prices. The players will be available in early September – the same month HP will release about two dozen other new consumer products, including a 42-inch plasma television and an all-in-one home theater projector, which were also announced Friday. The efforts are part of HP’s expanding strategy to become a household, rather than just an office, name by capitalizing on what they say is a reputation for quality products.
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