HP has released the HP Envy H8 desktop machine recently. It is a sub-$700 computer that is effectively mid-range desktop computer that offers decent performance for the price. However, the computer’s naming is not only far from the original “Envy” branding which was used for ultra-high end computers, but it can also be read as Envy “hate” (just like Facebook’s conference F8 is called “fate”).
The Envy brand originally came from VoodooPC, which was acquired by HP in 2006. In a recent tweet, Raul Sood, VoodooPC’s founder, now working at Microsoft, says: ” “Thought I’d seen everything…then I saw the ‘HP ENVY H8’ desktop… what the heck guys? Is this code for I give up?”
When contacted by the TomsHardware folks about his remark, Raul Sood send this response: “I’ve always said that brand is so much more than a logo on the box, it starts with culture, which leads to product, which leads to evangelism and community – and all of that becomes the soul of your brand. The HP Way is still one of my favorite business books, and HP is a pioneer in this industry and an icon in the Valley. Let’s hope they find the HP Way again.”
It is understandable that Raul Sood may think that the Envy brand is not being used properly by HP. On the other-hand, HP has simply left that high-end market. As a consumer, do you feel that slapping the “Envy” brand on a mid-range machine is a mistake? It seems unlikely that consumers will just associate what used to be the “Envy idea” with a mid-range PC.
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