I don’t get it. Every thing I read about it describes just a regular iPod. Where does HP come in, and why?
HP is packaging theirs with a new gimmick-- a specially-made sticker that has an image of a musician on it who is affiliated with HP somehow. The iPod itself is no different. Then again, Apple hasn’t been aggressively advertising the new 4G iPod to my knowledge, so the HP ads will the be the first 4G iPods many people see.
Also, the HP iPod comes out of the box formatted and ready for Windows based PCs. The apple iPod comes with the needed software and you need to reformat it for Windows based PCs.
This is a very easy process but nonetheless an additional step.
The main purpose behind it is to get the iPod into HP’s much wider distribution channel. HP sells in many, many more authorized dealers than Apple does, so this will make iPods much more readily available.
Technologically the products are the same. The difference is in the service. HP’s iPods come with more detailed Windows-centric documentation and include only the Windows version of iTunes; they also come with an HP software app that helps you use the hPod with a Media Center PC. As someone else noted, the hPod is formatted for Windows out of the box. HP’s warranty coverage is also better (though they don’t support iPods running on Macintoshes), befitting a company that ships product in such large volume relative to Apple.
A handy guide on the differences between the i- and hPod is here.