HEWLETT-PACKARD Co’s quarterly profit dropped 17 per cent on lighter sales in two key areas, personal computers and printer ink, in a sign that the woes in consumer technology spending have dragged on beyond the miserable holiday season.

The company also said an additional 6,400 workers, or 2 per cent of HP’s 321,000-employee work force, will lose their jobs over the next year. (AsiaOne)