HP took the wraps off 35 new products and local pricing at a launch in Sydney tonight, hoping to spark renewed consumer and enterprise interest by piggybacking off next week’s Windows 7 launch.

The bright spot has been consumer sales. “We have never sold as many laptops,” said Cox who believes the Government’s fiscal stimulus package, coupled with tax breaks for parents investing in computers for schoolchildren has led to an increase in demand. She believes that the launch of the slew of new products and Windows 7 will prompt even greater demand.

However Cox confirmed that there had been some good deals available from retailers recently, particularly this month, as stores ran down their stocks ready for the influx of new Windows 7 gear which will reach the shelves next week.

Among the key products unveiled by HP (see earlier story for product details) are a range of new mobile and touchscreen products, the Envy series of lightweight consumer notebooks, a consumer server product with an entry level storage capacity of 1 terabyte, a collaboration tool called SkyRoom which allows peer to peer communications between up to four participants (and uses the same compression algorithms as were used to send images back from the Mars Rover) and a range of new printers. While some products are available immediately, those based on Windows 7 will be available from October 22.

Attracting great interest were the lightweight Envy series of notebooks available with a 13 inch display (rrp $3,199) and 15 inch display ($2,799). The Envy series is less than an inch thick, and has an entry level weight of 1.67 kilogrammes .

HP also released another designer brand mini notebook, this time working with the Dutch designer Tord Boontje, to create a white notebook that ticks many of the green IT boxes and which will retail for $799.

The company is also finally releasing the MediaSmart home server in Australia, which has been available in the US for some time. Targetted at tech savvy families and small businesses, the device – which is about the size of a micro hifi unit, offers an entry level 1 terabyte of storage.

It is being marketed as a secure repository for data, emails, photos, CDs, iTunes, videos and the suchlike – all of which can be accessed from any device with internet access. Two versions are available, one which can be expanded to hold 7.5 terabytes and which retails for $599, and the top of the range model which can be expanded to 13.5 terabytes, which is available for $899.

For consumers who want to print out photos, or indeed any other documents, there are also a range of new touch printing solutions with prices ranging form $129 to $299.

For business customers there has been a refresh of the ProBook range (and the launch of a “merlot” coloured version which will be available from selected outlets.