The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet - WIlliam Gibson
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HP dumping WebOS devices will cripple its future
FLOGGER OF EXPENSIVE PRINTER INK HP managed to do a number on WebOS fans everywhere when it unceremoniously discontinued sales of its WebOS hardware devices, and in the process severely dimished the chances of third parties picking up WebOS for their devices.
HP's acquisition of Palm did many things but above all it gave the WebOS community hope. Here was HP, arguably the biggest name in the PC business, with resources that Palm could only dream of, an extensive retail channel and a proven ability to market hardware, whether it be desktops, laptops or printers, buying into WebOS. But the honeymoon period didn't last long.
Last November HP released the Pre 2 smartphone, its first device running WebOS since the Palm buy-out. WebOS was left to run on hardware that was at least six months old and for reasons known only to HP it decided to choose France as the first market for the handset. It is not surprising then that not a single major mobile operator picked up the smartphone when it did come to the UK. One popular online retailer is currently pricing the Pre 2 at £140 without a contract and still has trouble shifting it.
Then HP decided to follow the Pre 2 with a widely publicised paper 'launch' of the Palm Pre 3, Palm Veer and the Touchpad. To say the event was a launch would be deeply misleading, HP showed devices and gave out specifications but nothing else. No pricing, no launch date and no information about which mobile operators would be selling the devices. Once again it was a farce.
During February's Mobile World Congress we had a chance to play around with HP's Veer, Pre 3 and the Touchpad. WebOS was great, the Veer was surprisingly useful for such a small device and the Pre 3 was flying thanks to its second generation 1.4GHz Snapdragon chip.
But it seems that HP believed its products existed in a vacuum. What was great back in February is mundane in August.
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My office Color Laserjet 2840 MFP bought after the introduction of Windows 7 is not fully functional with it - no scanner drivers. After many minutes on the phone to India, HP support told me there are no plans to support this printer for W7 and I should replace with a new one. A relatively easy job for their software engineers to modify the Vista installation software is of no interest to them. How many commercial printer and server customers are there globally? WIll they be supported in future if the PC division is sold?
Another rumor going around is that HP bought Palm as a blocking strategy for another, naturally unnamed, company.
It was the only North American company involved in handsets that could have bought control of Palm without risking an anti-trust looksee.
Apparently to prevent Nokia from using WebOS or the Palm/Handspring brands to attempt yet another crack at North American markets where Palm had better consumer approval. Nokia was also distracted with its own anti-Nokia FUD campaign that was garnering some tech media coverage, then acceptance and finally mindless rebroadcasting. A sequence amazingly similar to the earlier anti-Palm OS FUD attack that of course had nothing to do with, or was in any way related to the imminent introduction of a media player with its own knock-off UI.
You guys really ought to do an article about one of the most unlucky tech companies.
Palm sells its OS to a Japanese company.
It then rents it (sale and leaseback?) and can't sue for 'look & feel' when a media player is introduced with a knock-off UI a few completely unrelated months later.
Palm unveils the Foleo. Everyone laughs.
18 months later Asus introduces the netbook.
There's another one that Samsung is going to buy.
Samsung buying Palm skeleton? Only happens when all the IP is stripped out of Palm.
Why would that be?
OR DID MAEMO DIE ALREADY?
HM, ITS SORT OF DIFFICULT TO TELL.
OR... IS IT?
I wouldn't be surprised to discover in the next quarters financials a mysterious billion dollar payment from Microsoft to HP...
Or alternatively, could Microsoft have strong-armed HP into dumping webOS at the risk of facing difficulties when it comes to Windows 8?
Given how desperate Microsoft are to ensure Windows Phone becomes the "third ecosystem", I wouldn't put anything past them.
i think Hp should buy RIM, it looks like a perfect fit and clearly they have the cash.