The end of the HP iPod?
We know, we know, besides a little engraved logo on the back there's not really any difference between HP's version of the iPod and the original, so it's not like this news is going to ruin anybody's day or anything, but AppleInsider says that HP has stopped placing orders for the iPod after a dispute with Apple over price protection policies. (HP currently offers their own versions of the 20GB and 40GB 4G iPods and is supposed to offer an HP iPod photo at some future point.) Basically HP wants a guarantee that Apple won't cut the price of the iPod, they're worried they'd have to match any price cuts and take a loss on the players (or at least see some serious hurting of their profit margins). They'll probably figure something out, but we're guessing that Apple (and probably the rest of the world) could take it or leave it—only 7% of iPods sold last quarter sported an HP logo on them.
[Thanks, Brian]
