HP logo. (Creative Commons)

Computer giant Hewlett-Packard plans to spin off its personal computer manufacturing division as it shifts to developing more software services, according to reports by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.

As part of the transition, HP could announce as early as Thursday a $10 billion purchase of Autonomy, a British software company. Growth of PC sales has slowed in recent years, and the PC market was not as profitable for HP as its printer and ink business. Only Apple has a larger share of the PC market than HP.

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