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HP CEO Whitman pushing for PC unit decision by end of the year

Now that HP's new CEO, Meg Whitman, is in place, there are a lot of questions to answer -- namely with what to do about HP's PC unit.
Written by Rachel King, Contributor

Hewlett-Packard's new CEO Meg Whitman has a lot of problems and unanswered questions to address right from the get-go of her tenure.

One of the biggest questions must be about HP's personal computers unit. After the fall of webOS and the HP TouchPad in August, speculation spread like wildfire that HP would spin-off its PC division, much like what happened with IBM and Lenovo.

However, we should know that an answer by the end of 2011:

"We're going to get to ground on this as fast as we can," Ms. Whitman said in an interview with CNBC, noting that she has heard from salespeople that uncertainty around the unit is hurting H-P's business.

If HP's clients and sales partners are already uneasy about the future of the PC business, the end of the year might be too long to wait. However, this decision does warrant a good deal of thought and work, and there is a chance that HP's PC unit could still turn around. Whitman is known for her past experience and skills in branding, and that could be what HP needs to attract customers and boost revenue.

Regardless, HP execs are determined to hold on to this particular business as long as possible, according to an interview with CNBC:

"We have no intention of getting out of the PC business," the company's chairman, Ray Lane, said in an interview. "Why would we get out of a $43 billion PC business that is number one (by a longer margin in profitability)?”

For a more in-depth look at the CNBC interview, check out the videos below:

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