For as long as I've been with HP (22 years), not talking about the future in public has been a part our operating style. This is some of my personal interpretation of why HP takes that position.
If we talk about a future, we may jeopardize our patent position, alert our competitors, and set the stage for serious customer satisfaction issues. There may be SEC issues as well (I'm not sure). Another issue is who has authority to speak for the company on unreleased products. Legally it may be only an officer. Practically it may be any employee who may not have the complete story or understand the uncertainties.
We have major accounts who sometimes commit their future strategies based on our product plans. We do discuss our plans with them, face to face, usually in one of our factories with confidential disclosure agreements and an understanding that we are talking about goals not commitments. Pretty tough with consumer products.
Here is my own personal philosophy about buying high tech stuff (and I buy more than most people I know). You don't buy technology; you rent it. Your monthly rental is what you paid divided by how long you used it (my personal opinion). Others have said you can wait until you die to buy the best computer. I think HP has done some nice things in the upgrade world. The 512K to 1MB is one example. It's not possible to guarantee upgrades in the high tech consumer market (again my opinion). It sometimes simply doesn't work financially. When I buy, I look at the cost/benefit trade-off and realize something may change after my purchase.
Tom Anderson
Sunnyvale, CA, USA