Well, I think Samsung would be the best fitted for using webOS. It would protect them from Apple patent trolling and give them a great OS that would proof them against the Google-Motorola fusion.
When one's patents is as broad as square black device, round edged icons in a grid on a mobile device, I consider them to be abusing the patent process and thus I consider them a patent troll, eventough I know it refers to companies that don't do squat with their patents beside suing others who does.
You don't seem to understand. Samsung doesn't need patents. Google is the one that needs to protect the Android platform (face it, thats why Samsung is being attacked by Apple) and they are with the Motorola deal.
All the rounded edges and similar colors in the world won't hold up in court. Apple knows that, which is why they had to Photoshop the 'Exibit B.'
Samsung entering the PC business is possible (and welcome), but I don't see them buying WebOS. Unfortunately the platform didn't make it far enough to mature around more consumer market devices like TV's and appliances. Samsung could make that happen, especially since their Web TV's suck it. I own an D6500, and everything about it from the Apps to Netflix is far inferior to my HTPC. But the cost outweighs the benifits. They could use Android for free, and its ready now.
This was always a three-way ecosystem. iOS, WP7 and Android. Symbian, Meego and WebOS (the later two of which are totally competitive) just can't get a break.
Well, when I said Samsung could use the patents, it was because Apple is suing Samsung, not Google. And, so far, Google has backed their OEM with nothing, but that might change with the Motorola acquisition.
As for the rest of your post, I agree that Samsung could be interested in the PC division (although, they do have a notebook division of their own, and may have a PC division in Asia I'm not familiar with), as for the WebOS thing, they won't buy it, because HP won't sell it. They'll use it as the OS for the printers (and maybe will license it for other home appliances or even cars, like MS has windows running in MyFord).
I don't think the Motorola acquisition will change anything with respect to patent litigation. After all, Apple and Microsoft are both currently suing Motorola, so Motorola's patents don't seem to be serving as an effective deterrent.
That's if Samsung exits Android and uses WebOS which looks nothing like iOS. I don't think Samsung would acquire WebOS. They are a hardware only company that relies on software vendors like Microsoft to give them expertise. They want no part in software.
As for Patent trolls, Apple would actually be the last company to be considered one.
They've been sued more than they've sued. It's important to sue Samsung because they are the one Android device maker that uses the shell that resembles iOS the most.
Well, they actually do have a in-house OS called Bada. And they do software interface for android as well, so I don't think they would have much trouble with WebOS, specially because buying it would probably include the division and engineers on the it.
As for the patent troll, I know what it means, but Apple has some broad patents that it is using to bully Samsung out of the market. So, I consider them to be acting as a troll.
Eh? What did they infringe? Rectangular box with rounded corners? Should they switch to triangular tablets, or did you see Apple's fake "comparison" pictures? If they dare to send fakes to court, I could imagine what's going on on fanboy sites.
Samsung's devices are more expensive than Apple's. So why on earth would anyone who's after "apple" buy a more expensive Samsung (that looks quite different mind you), if everything he was after was to buy an apple's product?
Yes. Poor Apple only patented innovative design of rectangular tablet with rounded corners (nothing anyone else could come up with, you know, rounded corners and rectangular shape is soo unusual...) and only faked evidence when suing Samsung:
Mobile techgeek. com.au/2011/08/20/report-apple-also-fake-evidence-in-dutch-lawsuit-shrinks-galaxy-s/
They are so innovative these guys at Apple. They managed not only to invent a phone with touchscreen (even though Nokia made such phone a while ago) and invent a tablet, 10+ years after first tablet was manufactured. Very very impressive.
While I think the Samsung lawsuit is absurd I don't think your diminishing of Apple is well thought out..
You may be right about a Nokia design and tablet - heck fuji made lots of medical tablets - but obscure references are just that. Apple also had the newton if you want to engage in a battle of defunct devices.
Prior to the iphone the palm trio was the smart phone paradigm. How many did you see around? The iphone touchscreen and interface changed the game entirely- as did it's design. It has driven the market since its introduction.
I think that Samsung should buy WebOS and fuse it into Bada, in order to fix their OS...
WebOS is the most elegant mobile OS that I've seen so far, and it would be a shame if it would perish so young... No guessing about PC division: it is too hermetic for me...
As someone who has owned both, webOS is WAY better than the Playbook's OS. It multitasks better, it's far less glitchy, and that's not even to mention the other features like automatic daily wireless backup to cloud, Synergy, etc. that the Playbook lacks.
webOS >>>>>>>>> QNX on Playbook
I am seriously, seriously pissed off at HP right now. I will never buy one of their products again.
QNX can actually run art-heavy intensive games such as Dead Space while molasses slow WebOS is quickly forgotten cause it can't even browse web fast enough. What a shame :)))
Ina couple of months no one will even troll about this joke of an OS called WebOS. Good riddance, HP.
HP is a bunch of wimps. They knew that it wasn't going to be an easy thing to do, taking on the likes of Apple and Google. But to give up so soon underscores what I have always felt about them...if it's gonna be hard, they just don't have the stomach.
Was HP thinking that the market was awaiting WebOS as the second coming ? They needed to do a better job as the OS and Apps, and at the whole ecosystem.... and give it a bit of time.
I don' know who could be a good steward for WebOS. There are too many OSes already, RIM will probably be the next to go, which will leave us with iOS, Android, WinPhone, and a couple a proprietary plays at the low end. That's probably sufficient. Maybe Google could buy it on the cheap and recycle and handful of IP/interface tricks ?
"had the TouchPad been free of bugs and performance issues it would be the best tablet on the market."
Ok that's taking it too far to the extreme. You can call it the best software or hardware, but to call it the "best tablet on the market" you are completely ignoring the total lack of an ecosystem around it.
In the late 90's through the early 2000's (much less so now) people didn't buy Windows because it was an amazing OS, they bought it because it has, by far, the most varied software choices. Touchpad totally fails in the currently tablet market on this metric and that is often THE most important one!
HP/Compaq PCs represent 50-80% of store PCs, as in what you find at BestBuy, Staples, etc. Yes I imagine that the margins on them are wafer thin but that's gong to clear the playing field for who? Dell? Asus? Lenovo?
The WebOS tablet, was a combination of "me too" and group think. How long did it take someone to come up with a good alternative to the iPhone? And you expect your brand new, no word of mouth, tablet to sell like hot cakes in like what, 3 months of exposure, and since it didn't through the whole thing out on it's ear. Gee, zero chance of recovering investment. Hope they sacked the suits that over hyped the sale estimates.
Anyways HP going into the phone/tablet market was probably a bad idea day 1. If you really want to make money in that market, make the parts used in them.
I'll admit that consumers, in matters of high tech, they rather have only two "from high" options. Windows or Mac, iOS or Android. Tablets built off of other platforms like RIM's Playbook is next.
ACER as a potential buyer. A few years ago they seriously started shipping hardware worldwide, with a series of decent products. They produce and own subsidiaries that produce plenty of mid to low end hardware. Why not leverage their tablets, netbooks, and low end laptops with an inhouse OS?
Anand, the US blog-o-sphere has this idea that Nokia is leaving MeeGo. It was entirely made up. While MeeGo devices may never hit US shores Nokia will still be involved in MeeGo for years to come. Nokia is always extremely tight-lipped about future devices so no one knows if future devices are coming.
Please edit your article unless you can cite a source that can disprove me.
The rumor started-off thanks to a story run with 1st by Engadget. The source was an interview with a non-English rag in the EU. Where Elop purportedly said: "There will be no more MeeGo devices ever, even if the N9's successful"
This English interpretation was later totally debunked by native speakers. But mainstream BLOGs (mostly US-based) like Engadget, kept running with it as fact. Not sure why, I guess it's a case of "never let facts get in the way of a good story".
In some ways I don't blame them.... Given all the things senior management's done/planned in the past 6mth+ It's hard not to feel that they really only have eyes for WP, now & forever. I hope that's not the reality longer-term though, I really do.
Nokia was dead the momet they let that micro person catch the helm.
Those veteran depts are sure to fight hard, but in the end, piecemeal, even the most resistant will just get written off. No matter how much they try to piss into the wind.
Sad, but one needs to learn accepting the reality.
WebOS was a good idea, but the problem is that HP left it in the hands of idiots like Ruby, who was completely inept when it came to releasing devices. They announce specs, then wait six months before release, then they did it again with HP. If they had released the Pre 3 FIRST, back in April-May, it would have been seen as a competitive device(single-core 1.4GHz may not sound as good as dual-core 1.2GHz, but it's still respectable). With sales of the Pre 3, releasing the Touchpad next would have provided a nice combination "halo effect" where sales of one boost sales of the other.
Of course, they release the device that most would expect to sell the least, the Veer, then they release the Touchpad, with no mention of the Pre 3, which would have sold people on the idea of Touch to Share. TTS really is a great idea, and there is a LOT of potential there, such as linking to something like the smartboards you see in schools today. So, great potential, and HP execs were just too inept to figure out how to release more than two devices in a one year period.
Going open source is perhaps a possible solution, let the community takeover. I'm thinking Mozilla who has a vision of building a mobile OS could help them in that regard.
If HP didn't want to build the free apps to make the platform at least look viable then they shouldn't blame consumers for not wanting to buy into their "half supported" platform. Obviously they failed to think this through...
What I have to wonder is what current TouchPad owners will do. With an announcement like this it's a foregone conclusion that HP will immediately stop WebOS development, so who is going to develop software updates for the TouchPad? It seems to me that the TouchPad just became DOA: HP has the buyers' money, and won't be handing out updates or bug fixes in return.
I guess everyone returns them then? Or since it's been under 2 months since they became available, do a chargeback if they use a credit card?
HP's exit from these businesses is really the endgame of the Carly Fiorina fiasco. Since she never stopped thinking that she was right, maybe she would like to kick in a few bazillion from her severance pay and buy these operations from HP. Then she could show us what she's really made of.
Because you can't fork the good bits: the UI and the marketplace. The kernel and operating environment alone won't do you a lot of good (oh, and Oracle may sue you).
They already did fork it with ophone for TD-SCDMA handsets in China. You can create an environment around that, especially if you have a large enough market. You will need to roll your own SDK but it's still built around all the same software and frameworks. So for the developer it's the same developer tools, and the same APIs. It's actually an add-on for the Android SDK in OPhone's case. So you wouldn't really miss out on much, if you really wanted to you wouldn't even need to rebuild the apps for your own SDK's and it's still a fork out of Google's control.
It seems that at this point HP will probably have to sell the Palm/Web OS division at a much lower price than they bought it for. That said I believe that consumer confidence in WebOS has gone out the window so it probably isn't a good option for any company to invest time and money in. It's a real shame because the OS had so much potential but wasn't given a fighting chance.
As a developer I was hoping HP would back their tablet for a while even at a loss. I figured with a company that large backing it that it would take off in the enterprise where android and iOS have yet to make large inroads. A structured release schedule for hardware would be a nice change.
Also, you might not be seeing it at your workplace, but Android and iOS are making enormous inroads over the past year into the corporate market (fortune 500 no less) while RIM and MS are floundering.
The will of the sr. managers goes a long way whether IT wants to support it or not.
I've always been confused by the projections that Android tablets will out sell iPad by 2012. I'm not seeing... still. Maybe a few years down the road when they are selling for $250 or so.
I've got an Ipad, I'm open for going for an Android... if I there is one out there I like.... and fir starters, that would be a 4:3 Android, which nobody makes (AFAIK).
I got a Pre on launch day. I love WebOS. When the phone eventually died, I switched to Android. I like Android because I can do a lot with it, but I don't like the menu upon menu upon menu structure that the OS seems built around. WebOS was elegant and got the job done at the same time.
I got an HP touchpad 13 days ago, and it's in the box to go back to Staples in the morning. If HP was going to support it, I would have stayed on board. But it has too many bugs and quirks at the moment to risk it.
Besides, if I regret it, I can always buy another one. I'm sure they'll be dirt cheap in a few weeks.
Sad day, though. The homebrew community was fantastic. HP/Palm just never put out a device or an OS that felt....finished.
With all the time spent by this site speculating about patent wars between the major players of cell phones, I'm surprised you didn't speculate as to the possibility that Microsoft, Apple or Google would buy it.
Google could make the most use of it, but overall - Android needs an overhaul in the GUI department. I'm sure if they offered HP $500M for it, HP would bite.
Apple wouldn't touch it... they don't need it. Microsoft, doesn't need it. WP7 (WPOS) is solid and there is nothing in WebOS that would enhance it.
Samsung = They'll stick with Android... supporting two OS devices would confuse customers, add costs.
ASUS = Not enough $$$ and not a major enough player for it to make a difference in sales. To most people, "Who is ASUS?"
HTC = They are fine where they are with Android and WP7 devices. They are a hardware company.
Intel = Maybe... but for what? They don't really sell consumer products (self contained systems) and are busy with what they do already. Meego (which is good) is pretty much... dead when Nokia dropped it for WP7. Why would Intel want another MobileOS, they already have on that is starting to collect dust.
RIM = Now, *THEY* could have done something... I don't know if they made a bid for Palm back then in early 2010. HP, being the huge beast of a company - spent a lot of time with WebOS and then burned current WebOS device users.
I think RIM could have quickly re-released WebOS onto their devices (like by now) - rather than still converting QNX to work with phones. The quality of the Playbook with WebOS would have been more exciting... a mobileOS, ready to go. But that's in the past and RIM is locked in with their QNX OS.
Actually QNX has driven phones for years, both baseband and application side. It isn't that WebOS had a strong SDK ready to go. MeeGo is much more mature on that side and they don't even have mass market products on it. If companies want a new Linux route that should be more interesting.
WebOS can only really work when someone is actually doing it as a integrated product where hardware and form factor has developed together with the OS to deliver their somewhat unique experience.
RIM was already invested in QNX Software Systems (just) before Palm was sold, and I don't really think they choose between them two. QNX is also different as it isn't a company you just can merge and dissolve into your own business virtually killing it, it is like Intel's own Wind River Vxworks. Both still run like separate companies. As is required in their markets.
WebOS might had a mobile UI but it wasn't really a mobile OS. Not ready to go and take over the world. It won't work in a company and won't be sold for that matter, that has competing solutions. It would simply be killed if Intel took it over. Nobody that is successful on Android would have any reason to buy it either.
Asus is btw far larger then HTC and Acer on a whole. Don't make them a good match though. Maybe some company like Fujtisu would have been a better match. But the product will silently live on in HP for years any how. Toshiba could surely benefit from picking it up to run on their products though. As they need to differentiate themselves and haven't been successful on Tablets, but they have sold their phone business, though still own kyocera also which wasn't sold off.
Owning an iPad1 and comparing it to the HP TouchPad – I already gave my opinion about how HP royally screwed up.
1 – Typical HP cheap look and feel design. Cheap and horrible feeling glossy plastic. 2 – Runs a bit slow on the hardware (software not optimized?) – rotation was awkward or didn’t happen. 3 – Control Panel was horrible, works like a desktop and multi-tasked. 4 – HP promoted it as a business product – while NOT and yet priced the same as an iPad. (So why not just get an iPad?) 5 – HP’s marketing company putting up FAKE reviews on websites didn’t help.
Its multi-tasking, and overall look (much of it looked like iOS) was pretty good. The 4:3 iPad like screen type was a good move. What would have been GREAT is a Samsung quality tablet with WebOS and a desire to make and support the product. A month after launch and HP pulls the plug?
There were other general problems with HP and other tablets in general.
Apple is able to provide a very solid package of Hardware, software, apps, media, books and support. We all know that iOS will be hear for years. Pretty much all quality tablets costs about $500… and none of them equal to an iPad.
I own a Samsung Android phone… Its fine for a computer techie like myself, but overall – its CRAP for most people. Try doing updates with Samsungs crappy (nice word) KIES software. Where is the sync software? Where is the working update software? Geez, I had to install Kies onto an old old HP notebook with WindowsXP in order to update my Samsung to Froyo! Froyo… while it fixed GPS and has some enhancements, it still does things more difficult than they should be. If Google wants to make Android better, they need to develop the software to talk to the hardware from the Windows and Apple side… their own version of iTunes.
This is what APPLE does NOT DO. Yes, they cater to the computer novice… but guess what, stupid PC users are no better than stupid Mac users. Most people are NOT computer savvy and never will. I don’t like iTunes, but it does work very good for most people, I can see that.
When the iPad2 is a solid product on the market, *IT* is difficult for anyone to compete. Android will do well in numbers alone… any competitor has to EQUAL an iPad – perhaps MS has a good chance, but they are not positioning the WP7/8 for tablets. They are counting on Windows8 to run on future hardware. There are good and bad things about this… the hardware requirements for a full blown OS vs. a mobile OS will effect pricing.
WebOS, like the Amiga – is being passed around from owner to owner. Its an EXCELLENT product… some tweaks can make it perfect. But HP is a STUPID company without the talent or balls to actually innovate. The printing business is dying, cheap PCs are a dime a dozen. Apple, Lenovo, HP, Dell, etc… coming out of Foxconn. Gateway – PackardBell – Emachines – Acer, now a single company (owned by Acer). HP is spending a lot of energy to be #1 PC maker… and if they left the PC market, nobody will really care?
Who loves their HP computer? Nobody. Same as Gateway and others. Some people still love Dells for some reason. ThinkPads are about the only PCs that are loved by their owners like those who love Apple products.
Why all this rambling…? It’s all these factors that makes it difficult to be successful in a market that Apple created. Yeah, MS had made a tablet version of XP… which failed. Its only useful in a few markets… they were always expensive as they are today. I don’t even like Apple, nor MS all that much. The law-suits, counter law-suits, back stabbing, stealing, etc… is just business.
The tablet market will only support two, maybe three major players. We know that Apple’s iOS and Android (now with a solid patent portfolio) aren’t going anywhere. QNX-RIM doesn’t have the “YEAH” factor. WebOS is effectively dead… unless Samsung wants it, but would confuse the customers on what to buy, so NO = not going to happen.
That leaves MS’s WPOS (which sounds better than WP7, etc – never mind the pun) – which has very little market share, but its an excellent and original OS and MS has the money and foresight for the long haul. MS *SHOULD* buy Nokia… it’s the best bet for the survival of WPOS and Nokia… and they SHOULD make a WPOS tablet.
When someone (Client, friend, business, personal) asks me about tablet, I’d go with iPad… then Samsung or Asus Transformer if they want to deal with Android and Android problems.
PS: I do feel bad for the developers, techs, creators and customers who love WebOS, MeeGo and even Symbian. But when you spend many years in the technology business – you know when the writing on the wall says an OS platform is dead. I honestly loved my Amiga computers… It took MS about 20 years to make Windows7, an enjoyable OS – to compare.
As of August 16, 2011, Best Buy had only sold 25,000 out of 270,000 in inventory. Hmm... bet HP is going to be buying those back.
In Europe, only about 12,000 have been sold!
I'm guessing HP Ordered about 500,000 TouchPads. Spent $100 million on advertising alone (I'm guessing). I've seen the ads with a singer and a boxer. HP is no APPLE in marketing.
Sales have been winding down... hey, this would happen if HP re-released Amiga computers. About 20,000 die hards would buy it. :(
Meanwhile... ASUS is selling out of Transformers at about 200,000+ a month. I'd buy a Transformer before buying a TouchPad. Its $100 cheaper and more thought went into the design. Samsung is selling about what... 500,000+ units a month? Blackberry Playbook is shipping about 200,000 units a month.
Needless to say, HP knew they were royally screwed with about 35,000 unit sales.
Apple is still pumping out about 2 million iPads a month.
I'm not sure how MS is going to compete with that once Windows8 with Tablet support hits the market in late 2012. No matter what, its bloated and overkill for a mobile playback device. But who knows... maybe IT WILL WORK.
"I'm not sure how MS is going to compete with that once Windows8 with Tablet support hits the market in late 2012. No matter what, its bloated and overkill for a mobile playback device. But who knows... maybe IT WILL WORK."
Windows 8 is not even out and you're already saying it is bloated?
They are already previewing Windows8. Its 100% compatible with Windows7. Meaning it'll eat up about the same or more space for its OS and have similar hardware requirements.
Compared to iOS, Android, WebOS and WP7.... Windows 8 *IS BLOATED* for a mobile device.
It'll require more drive space SSD or HD - like current Windows7 tablets which also tends to drive up the price. A Desktop OS doesn't have that instant ON of a mobile OS. etc etc...
Maybe a fire sale. I know Lenovo passed on it before HP bought it, but now they can have it cheap. It doesn't make sense to let it die. Thanks HP. :eyeroll:
Sad news. Seems very premature as they haven't even hadn't got out the Pre3 on the market yet thus having a incomplete lineup, which also means incomplete software wise, third party support, number of potential devices with the software and so on.
As for a sale of the WebOS division I don't think it's likely and it would be hard to find a company where it would fit, as they would need to have nothing themselves which they can build on, can't be invested in Android or MeeGo at any depth and can't simply be interested to sell a pre package os and product, they could just buy a license from HP for that any way or try to win ground with Microsofts products or whatever else. Companies like RIM, Nokia, Samsung etc is pretty much out of question and it would also include companies like LG who could rather invest in MeeGo or Android or whatever. Basically companies that have a successful platform (or aren't interested in building their own OS/Linux solution) can't make it fit.
Yeah, same price without the Support, service, quality, bug-less, appls, support-software (ala iTunes), music of book library, functional camera, high speed. (My iPad-1 is more responsive!).
Now... if HP somehow *SOLD* the TouchPad for $300 MSRP... that would be something.
Google can hedge their bets for the next 3-5 years on successful Android litigation. Acquiring webOS for pennies on the dollar - 10MM to 50MM range - would give Google incite on excellence in UI development for use in Android. Cheap insurance and Motorola set top box hardware with multitasking webOS would make for a killer cable viewing experience.
I was all set to develop apps on the WebOS and now poof :( I had wanted it to be able to compete and hopefully could use the multitasking part of it to its fullest. That is what attracted me most to WebOS as I grew up with Commodore and have design most of my microcontrollers around the Motorola CPUs. Oh well, disappointed that this didn't go through.
The problem is simply that there are so many mobile operating systems already out there, competing not only for buyers but also developers. Given that the OS is merely a platform for third-party applications these days, the people you really have to convince are app developers.
You need a good way for apps to get sold. You need a large installed base to sell to (who will actually PAY for apps). You need a platform that is easy to port to or from. You need an excellent developer support program. You need a good SDK. You need major carriers willing to promote your OS over their already-successful OS partners.
Those are all major hurdles, and you have to overcome all of them to be successful, while competing with well-established alternatives. Like it or not, iOS and Android thoroughly own the mobile OS space. Microsoft can afford to throw time and money at the problem. Blackberry, though dying, still has an existing customer base; ditto for SYmbian-based phones.
How can WebOS (or MeeGo) overcome all that? What developer is going to port to a fourth or fifth platform? What carrier is going to push a risky OS that for lack of apps might induce customers to look at alternatives (which opens the door to carrier changes as well as platform), when they have existing cash-cows that are proven?
WebOS in mobile applications at best will be a niche player. A company the size of HP isn't going to sink hundreds of millions into what will likely remain a niche.
The CyanogenMod team has shown a video of their Android firmware running on the HP TouchPad, and they are working towards being able to dual-boot Android and WebOS on the TouchPad. http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/08/28/cyanogenmo...
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sciwizam - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Samsung might buy the PC division, but not sure about the WebOS part.sviola - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Well, I think Samsung would be the best fitted for using webOS. It would protect them from Apple patent trolling and give them a great OS that would proof them against the Google-Motorola fusion.NCM - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Perhaps you should acquaint yourself with what the term "patent trolling" actually means before bandying it about.sviola - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
When one's patents is as broad as square black device, round edged icons in a grid on a mobile device, I consider them to be abusing the patent process and thus I consider them a patent troll, eventough I know it refers to companies that don't do squat with their patents beside suing others who does.Samus - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
You don't seem to understand. Samsung doesn't need patents. Google is the one that needs to protect the Android platform (face it, thats why Samsung is being attacked by Apple) and they are with the Motorola deal.All the rounded edges and similar colors in the world won't hold up in court. Apple knows that, which is why they had to Photoshop the 'Exibit B.'
Samsung entering the PC business is possible (and welcome), but I don't see them buying WebOS. Unfortunately the platform didn't make it far enough to mature around more consumer market devices like TV's and appliances. Samsung could make that happen, especially since their Web TV's suck it. I own an D6500, and everything about it from the Apps to Netflix is far inferior to my HTPC. But the cost outweighs the benifits. They could use Android for free, and its ready now.
This was always a three-way ecosystem. iOS, WP7 and Android. Symbian, Meego and WebOS (the later two of which are totally competitive) just can't get a break.
sviola - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Well, when I said Samsung could use the patents, it was because Apple is suing Samsung, not Google. And, so far, Google has backed their OEM with nothing, but that might change with the Motorola acquisition.As for the rest of your post, I agree that Samsung could be interested in the PC division (although, they do have a notebook division of their own, and may have a PC division in Asia I'm not familiar with), as for the WebOS thing, they won't buy it, because HP won't sell it. They'll use it as the OS for the printers (and maybe will license it for other home appliances or even cars, like MS has windows running in MyFord).
PeteH - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
I don't think the Motorola acquisition will change anything with respect to patent litigation. After all, Apple and Microsoft are both currently suing Motorola, so Motorola's patents don't seem to be serving as an effective deterrent.steven75 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Then maybe you should learn the difference between "trade dress" and "patents".vision33r - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
That's if Samsung exits Android and uses WebOS which looks nothing like iOS. I don't think Samsung would acquire WebOS. They are a hardware only company that relies on software vendors like Microsoft to give them expertise. They want no part in software.As for Patent trolls, Apple would actually be the last company to be considered one.
They've been sued more than they've sued. It's important to sue Samsung because they are the one Android device maker that uses the shell that resembles iOS the most.
sviola - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Well, they actually do have a in-house OS called Bada. And they do software interface for android as well, so I don't think they would have much trouble with WebOS, specially because buying it would probably include the division and engineers on the it.As for the patent troll, I know what it means, but Apple has some broad patents that it is using to bully Samsung out of the market. So, I consider them to be acting as a troll.
steven75 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Or maybe Samsung shouldn't infringe so blatantly?medi01 - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
Eh? What did they infringe? Rectangular box with rounded corners? Should they switch to triangular tablets, or did you see Apple's fake "comparison" pictures? If they dare to send fakes to court, I could imagine what's going on on fanboy sites.Samsung's devices are more expensive than Apple's. So why on earth would anyone who's after "apple" buy a more expensive Samsung (that looks quite different mind you), if everything he was after was to buy an apple's product?
medi01 - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
Yes. Poor Apple only patented innovative design of rectangular tablet with rounded corners (nothing anyone else could come up with, you know, rounded corners and rectangular shape is soo unusual...) and only faked evidence when suing Samsung:Tablet
www.geohot. us/2011/08/apple-allegedly-faked-evidence-for.html
Mobile
techgeek. com.au/2011/08/20/report-apple-also-fake-evidence-in-dutch-lawsuit-shrinks-galaxy-s/
They are so innovative these guys at Apple. They managed not only to invent a phone with touchscreen (even though Nokia made such phone a while ago) and invent a tablet, 10+ years after first tablet was manufactured. Very very impressive.
appliance5000 - Sunday, August 28, 2011 - link
While I think the Samsung lawsuit is absurd I don't think your diminishing of Apple is well thought out..You may be right about a Nokia design and tablet - heck fuji made lots of medical tablets - but obscure references are just that. Apple also had the newton if you want to engage in a battle of defunct devices.
Prior to the iphone the palm trio was the smart phone paradigm. How many did you see around? The iphone touchscreen and interface changed the game entirely- as did it's design. It has driven the market since its introduction.
Love it/hate it - it's the truth.
Dr0id - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
I'm not sure that Samsung is the best purchaser for webOS, as they are already heavily invested in their Bada OS.cmmarcondes - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
I think that Samsung should buy WebOS and fuse it into Bada, in order to fix their OS...WebOS is the most elegant mobile OS that I've seen so far, and it would be a shame if it would perish so young...
No guessing about PC division: it is too hermetic for me...
Pirks - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
"WebOS is the most elegant mobile OS that I've seen so far"That's because you haven't seen Playbook :P
vnangia - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
"That's because you haven't seen Playbook :P"Then you'd know the Playbook UI is a basically a ripoff of WebOS.
n00bxqb - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
As someone who has owned both, webOS is WAY better than the Playbook's OS. It multitasks better, it's far less glitchy, and that's not even to mention the other features like automatic daily wireless backup to cloud, Synergy, etc. that the Playbook lacks.webOS >>>>>>>>> QNX on Playbook
I am seriously, seriously pissed off at HP right now. I will never buy one of their products again.
Pirks - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Meanwhile, as trolls and n00bs keep trolling about Playbook, EA just launched Dead Space for Playbook.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGCoCZOi1AE
Looks yummy!
QNX can actually run art-heavy intensive games such as Dead Space while molasses slow WebOS is quickly forgotten cause it can't even browse web fast enough. What a shame :)))
Ina couple of months no one will even troll about this joke of an OS called WebOS. Good riddance, HP.
bigboxes - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Now, you're just trolling. I thought maybe you had done some maturing as I hadn't seen you act like this in a while.Pirks - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Yeah n00bxqb was trolling a lot, I agree with you. I just mocked him a little. Dunno why didn't you like itBelard - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
While not a tablet OS.... WP7 is more elegant and easier to use over Apple, Android and WebOS.TEAMSWITCHER - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
HP is a bunch of wimps. They knew that it wasn't going to be an easy thing to do, taking on the likes of Apple and Google. But to give up so soon underscores what I have always felt about them...if it's gonna be hard, they just don't have the stomach.StormyParis - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Was HP thinking that the market was awaiting WebOS as the second coming ? They needed to do a better job as the OS and Apps, and at the whole ecosystem.... and give it a bit of time.I don' know who could be a good steward for WebOS. There are too many OSes already, RIM will probably be the next to go, which will leave us with iOS, Android, WinPhone, and a couple a proprietary plays at the low end. That's probably sufficient. Maybe Google could buy it on the cheap and recycle and handful of IP/interface tricks ?
steven75 - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
"had the TouchPad been free of bugs and performance issues it would be the best tablet on the market."Ok that's taking it too far to the extreme. You can call it the best software or hardware, but to call it the "best tablet on the market" you are completely ignoring the total lack of an ecosystem around it.
In the late 90's through the early 2000's (much less so now) people didn't buy Windows because it was an amazing OS, they bought it because it has, by far, the most varied software choices. Touchpad totally fails in the currently tablet market on this metric and that is often THE most important one!
Father Xmas - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
HP/Compaq PCs represent 50-80% of store PCs, as in what you find at BestBuy, Staples, etc. Yes I imagine that the margins on them are wafer thin but that's gong to clear the playing field for who? Dell? Asus? Lenovo?The WebOS tablet, was a combination of "me too" and group think. How long did it take someone to come up with a good alternative to the iPhone? And you expect your brand new, no word of mouth, tablet to sell like hot cakes in like what, 3 months of exposure, and since it didn't through the whole thing out on it's ear. Gee, zero chance of recovering investment. Hope they sacked the suits that over hyped the sale estimates.
Anyways HP going into the phone/tablet market was probably a bad idea day 1. If you really want to make money in that market, make the parts used in them.
I'll admit that consumers, in matters of high tech, they rather have only two "from high" options. Windows or Mac, iOS or Android. Tablets built off of other platforms like RIM's Playbook is next.
Byte - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
If they drop below $100, I might just have to pick one up.wysingertech - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
ACER as a potential buyer. A few years ago they seriously started shipping hardware worldwide, with a series of decent products. They produce and own subsidiaries that produce plenty of mid to low end hardware. Why not leverage their tablets, netbooks, and low end laptops with an inhouse OS?mooninite - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Anand, the US blog-o-sphere has this idea that Nokia is leaving MeeGo. It was entirely made up. While MeeGo devices may never hit US shores Nokia will still be involved in MeeGo for years to come. Nokia is always extremely tight-lipped about future devices so no one knows if future devices are coming.Please edit your article unless you can cite a source that can disprove me.
Nokia giving raises to their MeeGo developers:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/rumor-mill-nok...
jed22281 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Agreed.The rumor started-off thanks to a story run with 1st by Engadget.
The source was an interview with a non-English rag in the EU.
Where Elop purportedly said:
"There will be no more MeeGo devices ever, even if the N9's successful"
This English interpretation was later totally debunked by native speakers.
But mainstream BLOGs (mostly US-based) like Engadget, kept running with it as fact.
Not sure why, I guess it's a case of "never let facts get in the way of a good story".
In some ways I don't blame them....
Given all the things senior management's done/planned in the past 6mth+
It's hard not to feel that they really only have eyes for WP, now & forever.
I hope that's not the reality longer-term though, I really do.
mino - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Nokia was dead the momet they let that micro person catch the helm.Those veteran depts are sure to fight hard, but in the end, piecemeal, even the most resistant will just get written off. No matter how much they try to piss into the wind.
Sad, but one needs to learn accepting the reality.
aspartame - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
This is how big companies go bankrupt or sold; by wasting billions in nonsense projects.Targon - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
WebOS was a good idea, but the problem is that HP left it in the hands of idiots like Ruby, who was completely inept when it came to releasing devices. They announce specs, then wait six months before release, then they did it again with HP. If they had released the Pre 3 FIRST, back in April-May, it would have been seen as a competitive device(single-core 1.4GHz may not sound as good as dual-core 1.2GHz, but it's still respectable). With sales of the Pre 3, releasing the Touchpad next would have provided a nice combination "halo effect" where sales of one boost sales of the other.Of course, they release the device that most would expect to sell the least, the Veer, then they release the Touchpad, with no mention of the Pre 3, which would have sold people on the idea of Touch to Share. TTS really is a great idea, and there is a LOT of potential there, such as linking to something like the smartboards you see in schools today. So, great potential, and HP execs were just too inept to figure out how to release more than two devices in a one year period.
Malih - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Going open source is perhaps a possible solution, let the community takeover.I'm thinking Mozilla who has a vision of building a mobile OS could help them in that regard.
Cannyone - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
If HP didn't want to build the free apps to make the platform at least look viable then they shouldn't blame consumers for not wanting to buy into their "half supported" platform. Obviously they failed to think this through...ViRGE - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
What I have to wonder is what current TouchPad owners will do. With an announcement like this it's a foregone conclusion that HP will immediately stop WebOS development, so who is going to develop software updates for the TouchPad? It seems to me that the TouchPad just became DOA: HP has the buyers' money, and won't be handing out updates or bug fixes in return.I guess everyone returns them then? Or since it's been under 2 months since they became available, do a chargeback if they use a credit card?
jjj - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Asus doesn't have the scale for it's own OS.Qualcomm and LG might see some value in buying WebOS.Too bad Nokia already chose a path.
snoozemode - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
What about Facebook? Seriously. But maybe too integrated with Microsoft?SixOfSeven - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
HP's exit from these businesses is really the endgame of the Carly Fiorina fiasco. Since she never stopped thinking that she was right, maybe she would like to kick in a few bazillion from her severance pay and buy these operations from HP. Then she could show us what she's really made of.claytontullos - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Anyone ponder that Microsoft was behind HP's decision to ditch WebOS?Microsoft had a lot to lose if HP became serious about WebOS.
taltamir - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
"ASUS, HTC, Intel and Samsung all come to mind."Why would they buy WebOS when they can just fork Android?
ViRGE - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
Because you can't fork the good bits: the UI and the marketplace. The kernel and operating environment alone won't do you a lot of good (oh, and Oracle may sue you).Penti - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
They already did fork it with ophone for TD-SCDMA handsets in China. You can create an environment around that, especially if you have a large enough market. You will need to roll your own SDK but it's still built around all the same software and frameworks. So for the developer it's the same developer tools, and the same APIs. It's actually an add-on for the Android SDK in OPhone's case. So you wouldn't really miss out on much, if you really wanted to you wouldn't even need to rebuild the apps for your own SDK's and it's still a fork out of Google's control.Slmblck - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
It seems that at this point HP will probably have to sell the Palm/Web OS division at a much lower price than they bought it for. That said I believe that consumer confidence in WebOS has gone out the window so it probably isn't a good option for any company to invest time and money in. It's a real shame because the OS had so much potential but wasn't given a fighting chance.Assimilator87 - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
TitleOh well, at least they'll fire sale the hardware real soon. I'll always have my Sprint Pre to use as a PMP. Hoping for as good of deals as HD DVDs.
techburgler - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
As a developer I was hoping HP would back their tablet for a while even at a loss. I figured with a company that large backing it that it would take off in the enterprise where android and iOS have yet to make large inroads. A structured release schedule for hardware would be a nice change.Taft12 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Why would you be hoping for that "as a developer"Also, you might not be seeing it at your workplace, but Android and iOS are making enormous inroads over the past year into the corporate market (fortune 500 no less) while RIM and MS are floundering.
The will of the sr. managers goes a long way whether IT wants to support it or not.
steven75 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
iOS is making "enormous" inroads, while Android is making sleight inroads to the corporate market.http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/enterprise-...
Belard - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
I've always been confused by the projections that Android tablets will out sell iPad by 2012. I'm not seeing... still. Maybe a few years down the road when they are selling for $250 or so.I've got an Ipad, I'm open for going for an Android... if I there is one out there I like.... and fir starters, that would be a 4:3 Android, which nobody makes (AFAIK).
The article on how Disney is using iPads for construction is cool.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/tablets-at-...
And my mother hates computers, but she'll kind of use an iPad.
Xebec01 - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
I got a Pre on launch day. I love WebOS. When the phone eventually died, I switched to Android. I like Android because I can do a lot with it, but I don't like the menu upon menu upon menu structure that the OS seems built around. WebOS was elegant and got the job done at the same time.I got an HP touchpad 13 days ago, and it's in the box to go back to Staples in the morning. If HP was going to support it, I would have stayed on board. But it has too many bugs and quirks at the moment to risk it.
Besides, if I regret it, I can always buy another one. I'm sure they'll be dirt cheap in a few weeks.
Sad day, though. The homebrew community was fantastic. HP/Palm just never put out a device or an OS that felt....finished.
-X
Belard - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Agreed.... I'm sad to see Palm get sucked into HP and then.... killed.Palm/WebOS has very little value now.
Here are the sales of the TouchPad and we can see WHY HP killed it:
As of August 16, Best Buy had only sold 25,000 of 270,000.
In Europe... 12,000.
We can guess that HP built about 400,000~500,000 devices... that is a painful OUCH!
zachj - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
With all the time spent by this site speculating about patent wars between the major players of cell phones, I'm surprised you didn't speculate as to the possibility that Microsoft, Apple or Google would buy it.For the patent portfolio that comes with it.
Zach
Belard - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Google could make the most use of it, but overall - Android needs an overhaul in the GUI department. I'm sure if they offered HP $500M for it, HP would bite.Apple wouldn't touch it... they don't need it.
Microsoft, doesn't need it. WP7 (WPOS) is solid and there is nothing in WebOS that would enhance it.
Samsung = They'll stick with Android... supporting two OS devices would confuse customers, add costs.
ASUS = Not enough $$$ and not a major enough player for it to make a difference in sales. To most people, "Who is ASUS?"
HTC = They are fine where they are with Android and WP7 devices. They are a hardware company.
Intel = Maybe... but for what? They don't really sell consumer products (self contained systems) and are busy with what they do already. Meego (which is good) is pretty much... dead when Nokia dropped it for WP7. Why would Intel want another MobileOS, they already have on that is starting to collect dust.
RIM = Now, *THEY* could have done something... I don't know if they made a bid for Palm back then in early 2010. HP, being the huge beast of a company - spent a lot of time with WebOS and then burned current WebOS device users.
I think RIM could have quickly re-released WebOS onto their devices (like by now) - rather than still converting QNX to work with phones. The quality of the Playbook with WebOS would have been more exciting... a mobileOS, ready to go. But that's in the past and RIM is locked in with their QNX OS.
Penti - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
Actually QNX has driven phones for years, both baseband and application side. It isn't that WebOS had a strong SDK ready to go. MeeGo is much more mature on that side and they don't even have mass market products on it. If companies want a new Linux route that should be more interesting.WebOS can only really work when someone is actually doing it as a integrated product where hardware and form factor has developed together with the OS to deliver their somewhat unique experience.
RIM was already invested in QNX Software Systems (just) before Palm was sold, and I don't really think they choose between them two. QNX is also different as it isn't a company you just can merge and dissolve into your own business virtually killing it, it is like Intel's own Wind River Vxworks. Both still run like separate companies. As is required in their markets.
WebOS might had a mobile UI but it wasn't really a mobile OS. Not ready to go and take over the world. It won't work in a company and won't be sold for that matter, that has competing solutions. It would simply be killed if Intel took it over. Nobody that is successful on Android would have any reason to buy it either.
Asus is btw far larger then HTC and Acer on a whole. Don't make them a good match though. Maybe some company like Fujtisu would have been a better match. But the product will silently live on in HP for years any how. Toshiba could surely benefit from picking it up to run on their products though. As they need to differentiate themselves and haven't been successful on Tablets, but they have sold their phone business, though still own kyocera also which wasn't sold off.
Belard - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
For the most part... WebOS is dead.Belard - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Owning an iPad1 and comparing it to the HP TouchPad – I already gave my opinion about how HP royally screwed up.1 – Typical HP cheap look and feel design. Cheap and horrible feeling glossy plastic.
2 – Runs a bit slow on the hardware (software not optimized?) – rotation was awkward or didn’t happen.
3 – Control Panel was horrible, works like a desktop and multi-tasked.
4 – HP promoted it as a business product – while NOT and yet priced the same as an iPad.
(So why not just get an iPad?)
5 – HP’s marketing company putting up FAKE reviews on websites didn’t help.
Its multi-tasking, and overall look (much of it looked like iOS) was pretty good. The 4:3 iPad like screen type was a good move. What would have been GREAT is a Samsung quality tablet with WebOS and a desire to make and support the product. A month after launch and HP pulls the plug?
There were other general problems with HP and other tablets in general.
Apple is able to provide a very solid package of Hardware, software, apps, media, books and support. We all know that iOS will be hear for years. Pretty much all quality tablets costs about $500… and none of them equal to an iPad.
I own a Samsung Android phone… Its fine for a computer techie like myself, but overall – its CRAP for most people. Try doing updates with Samsungs crappy (nice word) KIES software. Where is the sync software? Where is the working update software? Geez, I had to install Kies onto an old old HP notebook with WindowsXP in order to update my Samsung to Froyo!
Froyo… while it fixed GPS and has some enhancements, it still does things more difficult than they should be. If Google wants to make Android better, they need to develop the software to talk to the hardware from the Windows and Apple side… their own version of iTunes.
This is what APPLE does NOT DO. Yes, they cater to the computer novice… but guess what, stupid PC users are no better than stupid Mac users. Most people are NOT computer savvy and never will. I don’t like iTunes, but it does work very good for most people, I can see that.
When the iPad2 is a solid product on the market, *IT* is difficult for anyone to compete. Android will do well in numbers alone… any competitor has to EQUAL an iPad – perhaps MS has a good chance, but they are not positioning the WP7/8 for tablets. They are counting on Windows8 to run on future hardware. There are good and bad things about this… the hardware requirements for a full blown OS vs. a mobile OS will effect pricing.
WebOS, like the Amiga – is being passed around from owner to owner. Its an EXCELLENT product… some tweaks can make it perfect. But HP is a STUPID company without the talent or balls to actually innovate. The printing business is dying, cheap PCs are a dime a dozen. Apple, Lenovo, HP, Dell, etc… coming out of Foxconn. Gateway – PackardBell – Emachines – Acer, now a single company (owned by Acer). HP is spending a lot of energy to be #1 PC maker… and if they left the PC market, nobody will really care?
Who loves their HP computer? Nobody. Same as Gateway and others. Some people still love Dells for some reason. ThinkPads are about the only PCs that are loved by their owners like those who love Apple products.
Why all this rambling…? It’s all these factors that makes it difficult to be successful in a market that Apple created. Yeah, MS had made a tablet version of XP… which failed. Its only useful in a few markets… they were always expensive as they are today. I don’t even like Apple, nor MS all that much. The law-suits, counter law-suits, back stabbing, stealing, etc… is just business.
The tablet market will only support two, maybe three major players. We know that Apple’s iOS and Android (now with a solid patent portfolio) aren’t going anywhere. QNX-RIM doesn’t have the “YEAH” factor. WebOS is effectively dead… unless Samsung wants it, but would confuse the customers on what to buy, so NO = not going to happen.
That leaves MS’s WPOS (which sounds better than WP7, etc – never mind the pun) – which has very little market share, but its an excellent and original OS and MS has the money and foresight for the long haul. MS *SHOULD* buy Nokia… it’s the best bet for the survival of WPOS and Nokia… and they SHOULD make a WPOS tablet.
When someone (Client, friend, business, personal) asks me about tablet, I’d go with iPad… then Samsung or Asus Transformer if they want to deal with Android and Android problems.
PS: I do feel bad for the developers, techs, creators and customers who love WebOS, MeeGo and even Symbian. But when you spend many years in the technology business – you know when the writing on the wall says an OS platform is dead. I honestly loved my Amiga computers… It took MS about 20 years to make Windows7, an enjoyable OS – to compare.
Belard - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Reading about the sales of the Touchpad:As of August 16, 2011, Best Buy had only sold 25,000 out of 270,000 in inventory.
Hmm... bet HP is going to be buying those back.
In Europe, only about 12,000 have been sold!
I'm guessing HP Ordered about 500,000 TouchPads. Spent $100 million on advertising alone (I'm guessing). I've seen the ads with a singer and a boxer. HP is no APPLE in marketing.
Sales have been winding down... hey, this would happen if HP re-released Amiga computers. About 20,000 die hards would buy it. :(
Meanwhile... ASUS is selling out of Transformers at about 200,000+ a month. I'd buy a Transformer before buying a TouchPad. Its $100 cheaper and more thought went into the design. Samsung is selling about what... 500,000+ units a month?
Blackberry Playbook is shipping about 200,000 units a month.
Needless to say, HP knew they were royally screwed with about 35,000 unit sales.
Apple is still pumping out about 2 million iPads a month.
I'm not sure how MS is going to compete with that once Windows8 with Tablet support hits the market in late 2012. No matter what, its bloated and overkill for a mobile playback device. But who knows... maybe IT WILL WORK.
Mugur - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Maybe I'm only dreaming, but wouldn't be nice if Windows 8 for ARM will be compatible with current Tegra 2 Android tablets? :-)I wonder how many would switch...
sviola - Monday, August 22, 2011 - link
"I'm not sure how MS is going to compete with that once Windows8 with Tablet support hits the market in late 2012. No matter what, its bloated and overkill for a mobile playback device. But who knows... maybe IT WILL WORK."Windows 8 is not even out and you're already saying it is bloated?
Belard - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
They are already previewing Windows8. Its 100% compatible with Windows7. Meaning it'll eat up about the same or more space for its OS and have similar hardware requirements.Compared to iOS, Android, WebOS and WP7.... Windows 8 *IS BLOATED* for a mobile device.
It'll require more drive space SSD or HD - like current Windows7 tablets which also tends to drive up the price. A Desktop OS doesn't have that instant ON of a mobile OS. etc etc...
bigboxes - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Maybe a fire sale. I know Lenovo passed on it before HP bought it, but now they can have it cheap. It doesn't make sense to let it die. Thanks HP. :eyeroll:Penti - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Sad news. Seems very premature as they haven't even hadn't got out the Pre3 on the market yet thus having a incomplete lineup, which also means incomplete software wise, third party support, number of potential devices with the software and so on.As for a sale of the WebOS division I don't think it's likely and it would be hard to find a company where it would fit, as they would need to have nothing themselves which they can build on, can't be invested in Android or MeeGo at any depth and can't simply be interested to sell a pre package os and product, they could just buy a license from HP for that any way or try to win ground with Microsofts products or whatever else. Companies like RIM, Nokia, Samsung etc is pretty much out of question and it would also include companies like LG who could rather invest in MeeGo or Android or whatever. Basically companies that have a successful platform (or aren't interested in building their own OS/Linux solution) can't make it fit.
Kakureru - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
I knew HP f'd up when they thought they could go up against apple with similar pricing and lesser features. The yes men need to be fired.Belard - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
We will build it, they will come!Yeah, same price without the Support, service, quality, bug-less, appls, support-software (ala iTunes), music of book library, functional camera, high speed. (My iPad-1 is more responsive!).
Now... if HP somehow *SOLD* the TouchPad for $300 MSRP... that would be something.
TiredTech - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
Google can hedge their bets for the next 3-5 years on successful Android litigation. Acquiring webOS for pennies on the dollar - 10MM to 50MM range - would give Google incite on excellence in UI development for use in Android. Cheap insurance and Motorola set top box hardware with multitasking webOS would make for a killer cable viewing experience.The0ne - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
I was all set to develop apps on the WebOS and now poof :( I had wanted it to be able to compete and hopefully could use the multitasking part of it to its fullest. That is what attracted me most to WebOS as I grew up with Commodore and have design most of my microcontrollers around the Motorola CPUs. Oh well, disappointed that this didn't go through.Spazweasel - Friday, August 19, 2011 - link
The problem is simply that there are so many mobile operating systems already out there, competing not only for buyers but also developers. Given that the OS is merely a platform for third-party applications these days, the people you really have to convince are app developers.You need a good way for apps to get sold.
You need a large installed base to sell to (who will actually PAY for apps).
You need a platform that is easy to port to or from.
You need an excellent developer support program.
You need a good SDK.
You need major carriers willing to promote your OS over their already-successful OS partners.
Those are all major hurdles, and you have to overcome all of them to be successful, while competing with well-established alternatives. Like it or not, iOS and Android thoroughly own the mobile OS space. Microsoft can afford to throw time and money at the problem. Blackberry, though dying, still has an existing customer base; ditto for SYmbian-based phones.
How can WebOS (or MeeGo) overcome all that? What developer is going to port to a fourth or fifth platform? What carrier is going to push a risky OS that for lack of apps might induce customers to look at alternatives (which opens the door to carrier changes as well as platform), when they have existing cash-cows that are proven?
WebOS in mobile applications at best will be a niche player. A company the size of HP isn't going to sink hundreds of millions into what will likely remain a niche.
C'est la guerre.
LtRav3nw00d - Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - link
The CyanogenMod team has shown a video of their Android firmware running on the HP TouchPad, and they are working towards being able to dual-boot Android and WebOS on the TouchPad. http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/08/28/cyanogenmo...