Meg Whitman, CEO of HP, had to defend herself against Apple during HP's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, says a report from AppleInsider. More than one investor mentioned Apple's innovation and asked HP whether it is equally innovative. Another individual asked Whitman why HP didn't have retail stores like Apple which lets customers get a computer on the spot and not wait three weeks for a shipment.

Whitman said HP was founded on the "power of innovation" and created "disruptive technology" back in the day, but admitted the company recently has favored incremental evolution. She says HP has "to place some bets on disruptive or revolutionary innovation."

Whitman is in a tough spot as the head of a struggling company. She took over after the company kicked out CEO Mark Hurd and then removed Léo Apotheker from the CEO position, following his suggestion that HP might spin off its PC business.