Compaq

Compaq Computer Association is a claimed computer aggregation founded in 1982. Once the better supplier of claimed accretion systems in the world,[1] Compaq existed as an absolute association until 2002, back it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard.[2][3]

The aggregation was formed by Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill Murto — above Texas Instruments chief managers. The name "COMPAQ" was acquired from "Compatibility and Quality",[4] as at its accumulation Compaq produced some of the aboriginal IBM PC accordant computers.[5][6]

Prior to its takeover the aggregation was headquartered in northwest unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States.[

1980s

Compaq was founded in February 1982 by Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill Murto, three arch managers from semiconductor architect Texas Instruments. Each invested $1,000 to anatomy the company. Their aboriginal adventure basic came from Benjamin M. Rosen and Sevin Rosen Funds. The aboriginal Compaq PC was aboriginal sketched out on a placemat by Ted Papajohn while dining with the founders in a bounded Houston restaurant, House of Pies.[8] The aggregation was founded with the acting name Gateway Technology. The name "COMPAQ" was said to be acquired from "Compatibility and Quality" but this account was an afterthought. The name was called from abounding appropriate by Ogilvy and Mather (Houston office); it actuality the name atomic rejected.

Two key business admiral in Compaq's aboriginal years, Jim D'Arezzo and Sparky Sparks, had appear from IBM's PC Group. Added key admiral amenable for the company's brief advance in the backward 80s and aboriginal 90s were Ross A. Cooley, addition above IBM associate, who served for abounding years as SVP of GM North America; Michael Swavely, who was the company's arch business administrator in the aboriginal years, and eventually ran the North America organization, afterwards casual forth that albatross to Mr. Cooley, back Swavely retired. In the United States, Brendan A. "Mac" McLoughlin (another continued time IBM executive) led the company's acreage sales alignment afterwards starting up the Western U.S. Area of Operations. These able executives, forth with added key contributors, including Kevin Ellington, Douglas Johns, Steven Flannigan, and Gary Stimac, helped the aggregation with the IBM Corporation in all claimed computer sales categories, afterwards abounding predicted that none could attempt with the behemoth

Merger with HP

In 2002, Compaq affianced in a alliance with Hewlett-Packard. Numerous ample HP shareholders, including Walter Hewlett, about adjoin the deal, which resulted in an animated accessible proxy action amid those for and adjoin the deal.[16]

The alliance was accustomed alone afterwards the narrowest of margins, and allegations of vote affairs (primarily involving an declared last-second back-room accord with Deutsche Bank) apparitional the fresh company.[citation needed]

It was after appear that HP had retained Deutsche Bank's advance cyberbanking analysis in January 2002 to abetment in the merger. HP had agreed to pay Deutsche Bank $1 actor guaranteed, and addition $1 actor accidental aloft approval of the merger. On August 19, 2003, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission answerable Deutsche Bank with declining to acknowledge a actual battle of absorption in its voting of applicant proxies for the alliance and imposed a civilian amends of $750,000. Deutsche Bank consented after acceptance or abstinent the findings.[17]

Before the merger, Compaq's ticker attribute was CPQ. This was melded with Hewlett-Packard's antecedent attribute (HWP) to actualize the accepted attribute of HPQ

Post-Merger

Capellas larboard the aggregation afterwards confined beneath than a year as President of HP to become CEO of MCI Worldcom, arch to its acquirement by Verizon. Carly Fiorina, the Chairman and CEO of HP, added Capellas's responsibilities to her own.[citation needed]

Fiorina helmed HP for about three years afterwards Capellas left. HP laid off bags of above Compaq, DEC, HP, and Tandem employees,[18][19] its banal amount about beneath and profits did not advantage up. Though the alliance initially fabricated it the cardinal one PC maker, it anon absent the advance and added bazaar allotment to Dell. In addition, the amalgamation of the brackish Compaq computer architect with HP's advantageous columnist and imaging analysis was criticized as that overshadowed the latter's profitability. In February 2005, the Board of Directors ousted Fiorina. Above Compaq CEO Capellas was mentioned by some as a abeyant successor, but several months afterwards, Mark Hurd was assassin as CEO.

In backward 2005, Dell seemed to be aged and HPQ took aback the #1 sales position. Hurd afar the PC analysis from the imaging and columnist division. HP's PC articulation has back been reinvigorated and now generates added acquirement than the commonly added assisting printers.

Most Compaq articles accept been re-branded with the HP nameplate, such as the company's bazaar arch ProLiant server line, while the Compaq cast charcoal on alone some consumer-oriented and account products, conspicuously Compaq Presario PCs. HP's business computers band was discontinued in favour of the Compaq Evo line, which was rebranded HP Compaq. HP's Jornada PDAs were replaced by Compaq iPAQ PDAs, which were renamed HP iPAQ. All Compaq computers now address with HP software.

In May 2007, HP appear in a columnist absolution a fresh logo for their Compaq Analysis to be placed on the fresh archetypal Compaq Presarios.[20]

In 2008, HP reshuffled its business band notebooks. The "Compaq" name from its "HP Compaq" alternation was originally acclimated for all of HP's business and account notebooks. However, the HP EliteBook band became the top of the business anthology calendar while the HP Compaq B alternation became its average business line.[21] As of aboriginal 2009, the "HP ProBook" abounding out HP's low end business lineup.[22]

In 2009, HP awash allotment of Compaq's above address to the Lone Star College System.[

Sponsorship

Compaq sponsored Queens Park Rangers Football Club from 1994 to 1996, during their antecedent two seasons as a Premier League club. Compaq sponsored Bradford Bulls Rugby League club. Before its alliance with HP, it additionally sponsored the Williams Formula One aggregation back it was still powered by BMW engines.

Competitors

compaq originally competed anon adjoin IBM, accomplishment computer systems agnate with the IBM PC, and after adjoin added IBM PC Compatible machines.

As a clandestine aggregation and as a analysis of HP, Compaq primarily competed adjoin added budget-oriented claimed computer alternation from manufacturers including Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and Toshiba