10 Big Announcements At HP Imagine 2023: From AI Studio Software To ‘Conference Room As-A-Service’

At the inugurual HP Imagine 2023 event, the PC and print giant revealed several new products and services for channel partners to sell, including an AI development software platform, a ‘conference room as-a-service’ subscription product, a protect and trace service for PCs, and Poly hybrid work bundles.

HP Inc. CEO Enrique Lores said the need for greater flexibility in the workplace, the promise of AI and the value of trust are defining new and upcoming products it’s bringing to the market, from “conference room as-a-service” and AI development software to device refurbishment and security solutions.

Lores (pictured) made the comments Thursday at the PC and print giant’s inaugural HP Imagine 2023 conference at its headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., where company executives revealed a variety of products and services for the hybrid workforce on top of a pair of forward-looking PCs for consumers.

“We strongly believe that how people want to work has fundamentally changed,” Lores said in his keynote. “[The COVID-19 pandemic] accelerated that transition that was already happening. In fact, anytime we talk to another customer or another company, this is the first conversation that we have.”

Citing a recent HP-commissioned survey of more than 15,000 knowledge workers across 12 countries, Lores said the majority did not view their relationship with work as healthy and believed technology could help address issues such as work-life balance and feeling disconnected from colleagues.

“This is one of the big themes that inspired a lot of the products and solutions” HP revealed today, Lores said. “How can we enable our customers, our clients, to have the right experiences, even when they are working remote, even when they’re working in the hybrid model?”

Lores believes AI will play an outsized role in improving the way companies do business.

“AI is not only going to help us to be a much better company, because we really will use it to make our employees more productive. It will also help us to design and to build new experiences for our customers,” he said.

Just as important is what Lores called the “value of trust” in terms of relationships between vendors such as HP and their customers as well as how that defines vendor products and services.

“Customers want to buy technology from companies that have similar values to them, from companies that are not only creating the right solutions, but that want to have the right impact in the world, the right impact for the environment,” he said.

This is why, according to Lores, HP wants to be the most just and sustainable technology company, a goal that has impacted all the company’s product lines and defined new business models.

“This is driving us to use new types of materials. It’s driving us to change how we design our products to make sure they can be part of the circular economy,” he said.

What follows are 10 big announcements of new products, solutions and services from HP Imagine 2023.

The announcements cover the Z by HP AI Studio data science platform, a new collaboration with Nvidia on workstations, the “moveable” HP Envy Move all-in-one, the HP Spectre Foldable, Poly hybrid work bundles, HP Managed Collaboration Services, and the Renew Solutions device refurbishment program.

HP also made announcements around HP Protect and Trace with Wolf Connect, Workforce Central and several new printers for different market segments, including small businesses.

Z by HP AI Studio Software, Collaboration With Nvidia

HP wants to ensure its workstation PCs are the hardware platform of choice when it comes to data science and AI development through a new software platform and collaboration with Nvidia.

At HP Imagine, the company revealed the Z by HP AI Studio, a data science platform that gives data science teams the tools they need to collaborate on data science and AI projects.

“The AI Studio platform is uniquely designed to foster collaboration with the right tools and compute to accelerate workflows among data scientists and AI developers wherever they are in the world,” said Jim Nottingham, senior vice president and division president of advanced compute and solutions at HP.

“It enables users to create shared projects, connect to the data needed, and invite collaborators in just two clicks,” he added in a Thursday blog post.

Users can connect to the AI Studio locally or via the cloud, and the platform gives them the ability to deploy models “wherever and whenever they choose,” whether that’s in a PC or a cloud instance.

The platform also provides organizations with insights “to provide better predictability of AI development costs, helping organizations plan and budget more effectively.”

HP also said that it will be the first company in the industry to offer “dedicated workstation solutions” with the Nvidia AI Enterprise software suite, which comes with the AI frameworks, pre-trained models and tools needed to develop and deploy AI applications.

HP Envy Move, The ‘Moveable’ All-In-One PC

HP is shaking up the all-in-one category with the new 23.8-inch HP Envy Move, which it called the “world’s only moveable all-in-one PC.”

The Envy Move comes with a discrete handle in the back that makes it easy to carry around. Its portability is also made possible by a built-in battery that can last up to four hours, reducing the need to keep the device plugged into a wall.

The all-in-one comes with a “self-deploying” kickstand that allows it to “easily adapt to any flat surface,” and it has a “stylish back pocket” to hold the device’s full-size keyboard and integrated touchpad.

The Envy Move comes with a QHD display and adaptive surround sound, the latter of which the company said is first for an all-in-one device.

The all-in-one supports up to a 13th-Gen Intel Core i5 processor, up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 1TB of storage. It also comes with Intel Unison software for connecting to mobile devices.

The Envy Move is available now through HP’s website and Best Buy starting at $899.99.

HP Spectre Foldable PC

HP used the event to officially launch its previously revealed $4,999, 17-inch foldable computer, the HP Spectre Foldable PC, which it called the “world’s thinnest and smallest” in the category.

Announced last month, the HP Spectre Foldable PC, or Spectre Fold for short, is considered a 3-in-1 device that can serve as a laptop, tablet or desktop.

This is made possible by the device screen’s ability to fold, which allows it to serve as a large tablet with a stylus, a 12.3-inch laptop when folded and combined with a detachable Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad, and a desktop PC when its built-in kickstand is deployed.

When in laptop mode, the Spectre Fold “surpasses the conventional laptop experience” by featuring one-and-a-half screens, according to HP. There are no cables required to charge the Bluetooth keyboard and stylus because wireless charging is built into the device.

HP said the Spectre Fold is “the world’s first foldable PC with built-in AI for security, wellness and gesture controls.” In addition, it comes with HP Presence 2.0 for “enhanced productivity and collaboration” as well as support for Intel Unison to easily connect the PC to a mobile device.

The 3-in-1 is powered by a 12th-Gen Intel Core i7 processor, and it comes with 16GB of memory, a 1TB SSD and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. HP said that the device’s battery can last “up to 12 hours in laptop mode and up to 11 hours in desktop mode.”

Starting out, HP said the device will be available in “limited quantities” through its website and at select Best Buy locations in the United States.

Poly Hybrid Work Bundles, Improved Bluetooth Headset Tech

HP said it’s releasing new bundles of Poly video conferencing technology and mini PCs with the recognition that workers need better collaboration systems amid a return-to-office push.

“CEOs want employees back in the office, but employees want to know their company is investing in technology that enables them to collaborate meaningfully, whether they’re back in the office full-time, part-time, or working remotely,” said Andy Rhodes, president of HP Hybrid Systems, in a blog post.

To that end, the company has revealed two bundles.

The first is the Poly Studio Bundle, which comes with smart camera technology for the Zoom Rooms intelligence director feature from video communication software vendor Zoom. With the hardware and software combined, the solution enhances interactions between remote and physical meeting participants through the use of AI, according to the company.

The bundle actually consists of several bundles for meeting rooms of different sizes. They all include an HP Mini Conference PC, but they vary in which camera or cameras they include, from the Poly Studio R30 and Poly TC10 to three Poly Studio E70s and one Poly TC10.

“This bundled solution makes it easy to purchase and deploy without assembling components from multiple vendors,” according to the company.

The bundles are expected to launch next month.

The other bundle is the Poly Studio R30+ Bundle, meant for smaller meeting rooms where participants want a dynamic experience using plug-and-play technology. The bundle comes with a Poly Studio R30 camera that connects to a laptop with a USB-C cable.

This bundle is set for release early next year.

HP also announced that it plans to make the Bluetooth experience better and easier for Poly headsets through what it called Bluetooth Direct from Poly.

The vendor said the technology “will make hybrid work easier, supporting fast and simple pairing, in-call experiences, management and analytics without requiring a Bluetooth adapter.”

Bluetooth Direct from Poly is set for availability in late spring next year.

HP Managed Collaboration Services

HP revealed a “conference room as-a-service” subscription product as part of its Workforce Solutions business that will give organizations new ways to manage and optimize their conference rooms.

Called HP Managed Collaboration Services, it’s all about “managing, operating and optimizing video conference rooms,” wrote Dave Shull, president of HP Workforce Solutions, in a Thursday blog post.

HP is currently piloting the service, and it’s expected to roll out globally starting in April of next year.

“Starting with an understanding of our customers’ unique employee personas and workplace policies, HP Managed Collaboration Services assesses an individual business’ needs and delivers cutting-edge Poly and HP technology to help customers create an outstanding conferencing experience,” Shull said.

The service will also have the ability to “extract and analyze data to deliver recommendations—and even remediate some issues automatically before they occur,” according to Shull.

“For example, customers will be able to gather insights about room occupancy, availability and usage rates so they can better understand how conference rooms are utilized and recommend adjustments to improve the experience and optimize usage,” he said.

Shull added that the service will introduce more features in the coming year to enable organizations to “proactively identify issues and initiate solutions.”

Device Refurbishment Program, Protect And Trace Service

HP expanded its Workforce Solutions portfolio further with the reveal of a device refurbishment program and the impending launch of a security service that can remotely erase data from PCs.

The new device refurbishment program is a first for HP and it’s the “first tool in a suite of services” that the company has called Renew Solutions, Shull wrote in a blog post.

Shull said HP has refurbished close to 20,000 devices per year for its own workforce, and the company is now extending that service to its customers.

The program involves a “rigorous refurbishment process ranging from memory enhancements to storage expansions, tailored to individual preferences and requirements,” according to Shull.

The program will launch in France this year and then to other regions, including North America, next year. It will start with laptops and then “expand over time to include printers, collaboration equipment and other hybrid solutions,” he said.

The security service, HP Protect and Trace with Wolf Connect, was announced earlier this year, and it lets customers track devices and remotely erase data remotely, “even if the PC is turned off, not connected to the internet or won’t boot,” according to Shull.

This can be helpful in a variety of ways, giving organizations the ability to erase data from PCs lost by traveling employees before the devices end up in the wrong hands. It can also be used to “track fleet assets to drive financial efficiency and sustainability,” Shull said in the blog post.

HP Protect and Trace with Wolf Connect is the only service of its kind offered by a PC vendor, according to the company, and it’s expected to launch next month.

Workforce Central

HP said it plans to launch later this month Workforce Central, a “cloud-based dashboard that allows IT managers to discover, configure, monitor and manage HP services and solutions in one location.”

Announced earlier this year, Workforce Central will consolidate more than 64 services for PCs, printers and other devices like Poly video conferencing products and turn channel partners into “virtual CIOs” for their customers, Shull told CRN in a March interview.

At Thursday’s event, Shull said Workforce Central will be free and “enable ubiquitous telemetry across our entire portfolio of more than 200 million PCs, Poly systems and printers.” He told CRN on Thursday that the dashboard will include premium offerings that partners can sell to customers.

“This will give our customers and partners even more essential insights into the performance of their fleet,” he said in a blog post.

Starting next month, Workforce Central will include an enhanced Proactive Insights tool that combines AI technology and telemetry to “anticipate issues and deliver specific recommendations and solutions to support IT and improve the employee experience,” according to Shull.

“Additionally, by correlating data such as software usage and IT help desk interactions, Proactive Insights can provide CIOs with insights on how to improve productivity and engagement,” he said.

New OfficeJet Pro, DeskJet, DesignJet Printers

HP expanded its family of printers with a “reimagined” OfficeJet Pro portfolio for small businesses, the DeskJet all-in-one series for home printing and an updated DesignJet lineup.

The new OfficeJet Pro lineup will launch in January 2024, and it will consist of “reliable, convenient and sustainable printing solutions designed to help growing businesses supercharge their productivity at home, in the office or a creative studio,” according to HP.

The OfficeJet Pro printers will have the ability to use a new ink cartridge option called HP EvoMore, which the company called the “most sustainable” ink cartridge yet.

EvoMore extends the life of every cartridge by offering double the printed pages per cartridge, and the company aims to facilitate “easy recycling” by including an HP Planet Partners recycling envelope in every cartridge box, according to the vendor.

The OfficeJet Pro printers use the HP SmartApp to save time on printing processes, HP Wolf Security to protect data and self-healing dual-band Wi-Fi.

Availability starts this month in North America with the OfficeJet Pro 9100b series. The 8100 series, 9100 series and 9700 series are expected to arrive in January of next year.

For home printing, HP said the new DeskJet all-in-one series is focused on ease-of-use, simplicity and convenience when combined with its Instant Ink subscription service.

The DeskJet printers will be available in North America starting in April of next year.

The new 36-inch DesignJet portfolio is made for architects, engineers, construction professionals and copy shops with the ability to print on large-format paper.

Combined with software like HP Click and the HP app, DesignJet enables users to “print, monitor jobs and check device status from virtually anywhere as well as collaborate on documents with colleagues.”

Availability begins this month in North America with HP DesignJet T850/950, the HP DesignJet XL 3800 and the HP DesignJet Smart Tank T858 multi-function printer.