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According to some back-of-the-envelope calculations and other data, we estimate the average cost for a tech worker’s space and support facilities in an office is about $15,500 a year.¹ If you could have your employees and contractors work at home, and all you had to do was outfit them with a new computer every three or four years for $500 a year, how long would it take to figure out the ROI of remote workers?
In addition, pollution and transportation systems maintenance and capitalization costs would go down. Employee morale would go up by shedding the soul-crushing commute, and as a result, productivity goes up. Think of what it would do for global warming if all those parking lots were eliminated.
HP has thought about all this and released four new systems to make working at home more enjoyable, comfortable, and productive. And they are very affordable, based on the above they are a steal.
The flagship product from HP’s fall lineup is the Envy 34 all-in-one
HP’s Envy 34 all-in-one has a 5120 × 2160 factory calibrated IPS screen, an Intel Core i9 CPU, with up to 32GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD, and up to an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, which HP says is the first for an all-in-one. The 34-inch AIO starts at $2,000—a lot less than renting an office.
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| HP’s Envy 34 AIO. (Source: HP) |
The Envy 34 comes with a 16-MP detachable camera that sticks to the top, sides, or bottom magnetically (it’s in the upper right corner in the image above). You can even point it straight down to show a drawing or sketch, or point it at a whiteboard or other presentation. The camera employs HP’s enhanced lighting, which can control how you look in video calls.
The Spectre x360 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop is another fascinating device
The 16-inch x360 comes with a high-res 3072 × 1920 IPS touchscreen (or optional OLED) with support for a stylus. Its rotating hinge lets the laptop change into tablet or presentation modes on command.
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| HP’s Spectre 2-in-1. (Source: HP) |
The laptop features an 11th-gen Intel Core i7-11390H CPU with Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The mute mic button and physical camera shutter for its 5-MP webcam are provided for protecting your privacy so you can be in your PJs while zooming. The laptop starts at $1,639.
14-inch laptop
The HP Laptop 14 features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor for a slightly smaller tote-along laptop. The HP Laptop 14 is HP’s latest Qualcomm-based offering and a serious challenger to Chromebooks.
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| HP’s 14-inch Qualcomm-based laptop. (Source: HP) |
HP says the fast recharge speeds can get the HP Laptop 14 to 50% battery in just 30 minutes. HP hasn’t priced the device yet.
Peek-a-boo camera in HP 11-inch tablet
HP mounted a 13-MP camera in the back, at the top, of the HP 11-inch Tablet. It can flip up to face the user for zooms.
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| HP 11-inch tablet. (Source: HP) |
The tablet starts at $500 or $600 with a detachable keyboard. The textured backflips out to form a back stand.
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| The HP 11’s camera (at top) can rotate from the back to the front. (Source: HP) |
The tablet has a detachable magnetic keyboard that functions as a laptop and is powered by an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 with 4GB of RAM. That’s enough RAM except for the huge image files.
See more, do more with HP’s monitors
HP introduced a new 34-inch, five Mpixel, 3440 × 1440, curved wide M34d monitor with blue light filter, the M34d WQHD, that starts at $530. The 5-ms monitor hits 99% of the RGB spectrum and comes with built-in 3 w speakers.
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| HP’s 34-inch curved monitor is the perfect companion for a laptop. (Source: HP) |
The monitor has an adjustable height stand, and with its integrated KVM (keyboard, video, and mouse switch), one can access two computers with one mouse and keyboard.
HP U32 4K HDR
The 4-ms high-res, 8.3 MP HP U32 has a 3840 × 2160 IPS screen that is VESA HDR 400, 99% sRGB, and 98% DCI-P3 compatible.
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| HP’s U32 4K HDR monitor. (Source: HP) |
The HP U32 4K HDR Monitor is expected to be available in October at HP.com for a starting price of $499.
What do we think?
Obviously, HP has not been napping during the pandemic. The tablet’s clever transformer camera and back stand is well thought out and will be a desired (and copied) feature. HP’s photos of the monitors don’t show them working with the laptop as an extended display, which is an important feature that should be mentioned. If I could pick only one, it would be the 34-inch AIO first and the 16-inch laptop second.
¹As of 2019. Average $/sq. ft. New York. $85.20, San Francisco $92.70, Houston $31.40. Usable square feet for a tech worker about 180.
Average commercial lease per square foot https://www.squarefoot.com/leasopedia/dollars-cents-much-cost-rent-office-space/
statewide California average office sale price during the same time period was $432.41 per square foot.
AT&T reported a savings of $3,000 per office, totaling approximately $550 million per year, by eliminating or consolidating office workspace associates no longer needed.
A Cisco Study finds telecommuting significantly increases employee productivity, work-life flexibility, and job satisfaction.