I also worked for Compaq prior to the merger with HP. Except I worked in the the storage division. Compaq was never really a PC company, they were more concerned with Enterprise solutions (Servers and Storage), but had desktop lines because it was expected of them. The running joke was "there is a reason they call it Pre-sorry-o".

That is one of the reason that my desktop choice has always been Dell. That, and Gold service (always in the US) will go out of their way to make sure that your product is working properly. So, HP leaving the PC market does not affect me, unless Dell uses it as an excuse to raise prices (lack of competition).