PC business selloff story bogus, says HP

Hewlett-Packard Co. has emphatically denied a press report that it plans to sell off its PC business.

Bill Wohl, HP senior vice president and chief communications officer, blamed the story on “irresponsible reporting by Taiwan’s Commercial Times” a Chinese-language newspaper.

Wohl said the story -- which was also reported in other media in Asia -- "should be dismissed as market rumor and speculation."

“HP runs the world’s largest PC business and it is core to HP’s strategy for the connected world,” he added.

The story alleged that Samsung was the most likely buyer with Chinese firms Lenovo and Foxconn Electronics also being suitors.

Last month HP introduced a new line of business notebook PCs that included “new technology aimed at boosting performance and productivity.”

The world’s largest PC maker said it would announce the pricing of the new units on March 15.

Hewlett-Packard Co., of Palo Alto, Calif., ranks No. 12 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.