1. Explain which product/market expansion grid strategy PC-makers are currently pursuing to deal with the threat of post-PC mobile devices. Is this a smart strategy?
2. Discuss how companies such as HP and other PC-makers can adapt to and capitalize on new online, mobile, or social media technologies.
In 2011, Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apothekar made the strategic decision to exit the personal computer business, but he got fired and incoming CEO Meg Wittman reversed that decision. However, sales of personal computers have plummeted since the introduction of post-PC devices (tablets, e-readers, and smart phones). In 2013, total PC shipments fell 10 percent, and no one felt that more than leading PC-maker HP. PC-makers dropped prices-some more than 50 percent-on laptops and some are offering touch screens to compete with tablets and mobile devices in an attempt to gain back market share. HP's former CEO wanted to shift strategic focus more toward offering software to business markets. Maybe he had read the future correctly and was on the right strategic path. With the game-changing introduction of tablets, mobile technology, and social media, the future is not what it used to be. The growth in mobile technology is there; HP just "missed the boat."