HP bins iPods

MAKER OF printer ribbons, HP has dumped its deal to evangelise the Apple's entertainment gear the iPod.

HP had inked the deal with Apple under the reign of the now-ousted chief executive officer Carly Fiorina.

After all, with Apple's beautiful and expensive gizmos and HP's highly advanced means of distribution the two companies would be onto a winner, right?

It turned out that all HP could do for Apple was shift five per cent of the iPod's total shipments.

HP spinners are telling the world that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy and told Apple that it would stop reselling iPods by the end of this September. Observers are pointing out that the ending of the deal was part of a Fiorina purge, as this deal was one of her babies. Others think that HP might be thinking of going it alone with a digital player of its own.

It can't do that until August 2006, under the terms of Cory's agreement with Jobs. It could start development, but by 2006 they will probably be out of fashion.

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