HP's webOS 2.0 to take on iPhone 4, iPad later this year

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
After making comments to the contrary this summer, Hewlett-Packard is now positioning its acquired Palm webOS as a competitor to Android and iPhone 4, as well as Apple's iPad, relegating its Windows 7 Slate PC offerings to a business tablet niche.



HP is said to be working to revamp its consumer offerings to become more like Apple, selling premium hardware well integrated with its own new webOS software platform.



But at the same time, the company needs to maintain its close relationship with Microsoft as the world's largest Windows PC vendor. The company's efforts to reconcile those two goals has been erratically evolving throughout the year.



Wherefore art thou, webOS?



In January, HP appeared on stage with Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer to demonstrate an HP Slate PC running Windows 7, a move that was seen as a preemptive strike on Apple's planned tablet device. However, shortly after Apple's iPad shipped the HP Slate seemed to evaporate as a product.







In April, HP surprised observers by buying up the troubled remains of Palm for $1.2 billion, inciting rumors that HP would dump its Windows Mobile offerings and aggressively enter the smartphone business with new webOS mobiles and tablets.



However, in June HP's chief executive Mark Hurd told a technology conference audience that HP wasn't going to "spend billions of dollars trying to go into the smartphone business. That doesn?t in any way make any sense. We didn?t buy Palm to be in the smartphone business."



Hurd added, "and I tell people that, but it doesn?t seem to resonate well. We bought it for the IP [intellectual property]. The webOS is one of the two ground-up pieces of software that is built as a web operating environment."



In July, HP was noted by John Paczkowski of the Wall Street Journal to be "doubling down" its webOS efforts and dropping its plans to deliver an Android tablet.



The company was also conspicuously absent from Microsoft's listings of new Windows Phone 7 licensees (but not Windows 7 Slates), suggesting that HP was backing away from the next generation of Windows Mobile phones to focus on its own webOS based offerings.



New HP smartphones to be webOS only



HP is now going on record with the media in announcing that it will exclusively use Palm's webOS to power its future smartphones, dumping Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 entirely. Dell has announced similar plans, although it is using Android rather than WP7 or building its own mobile platform.



At the same time, HP executive vice president Todd Bradley (the former chief of Palm prior to the development of webOS) told an audience at the Fortune Brainstorm conference that HP would also build a Windows 7 "Slate 500" but that it will not be sold to consumers and instead be targeted solely to enterprise customers, according to report by InformationWeek.



At the same conference, Jon Rubenstein, the former head of Palm and Apple's iPod product manager before that, said a new webOS 2.0 was on track for delivery later this year, and that HP would be aggressively developing hardware for it. Rubenstein did not offer any details on the features expected in the new release however.



The coming tablet and smartphone battle royal



Apple's current lock on the tablet market with the iPad will be tested by a flurry of new product entries this fall and winter, as a series of products appear using Google's Android or Chrome OS platforms, as Microsoft brings Windows 7 Slates and tablet products based on "Windows Embedded Compact 7" (previously known as Windows CE), and as HP rolls out its webOS tablet, expected to be named PalmPad.



At the same time, smartphone vendors will also be launching new phones using Android 3.0 and Windows Phone 7 around the time HP appears to be entering the market with webOS 2.0. Samsung is also promoting its own Bada smartphone platform.



The lack of interest demonstrated by various competing hardware makers in flocking to a single platform has confounded pundits who have predicted that smartphones would quickly settle into a PC model with one monoculture software platform. Rather than that happening, most vendors have deserted Microsoft and those that have joined Google's Android alliance have worked to maintain their own identity with "skin" layers indented to differentiate themselves.



Efforts by Samsung and HP to launch their own mobile software platforms reflect an interest in duplicating the success Apple has had in maintaining strict control of its entire product with the iOS-based iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 87
    good artists copy, great artists steal... too little too late. hope they enjoy the race to the bottom.
  • Reply 2 of 87
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    The good part of all of this: More competition for Apple (to keep them on their toes) and no more soup for Microsoft!
  • Reply 3 of 87
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    The name PalmPad would seam like the wrong way to go. One, the device is too big to fit in the palm and two, they are HP, why do they need to retain the Palm brand?
  • Reply 4 of 87
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:

    After making comments to the contrary



    I mean like; how dare they. Seriously Daniel, step away from the cult for a moment and look at the whole tech industry with an ounce of objectivity.
  • Reply 5 of 87
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Nothing, and I do mean N O T H I N G, in the mobile OS arena comes remotely close to the simplicity, elegance, and multi-tasking capabilities of Palm's WebOS.



    Hopefully version 2 will only improve upon these merits while bringing about a stronger app development community... Bring on the WebOS -Powered PalmPad!
  • Reply 6 of 87
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Nothing, and I do mean N O T H I N G, in the mobile OS arena comes remotely close to the simplicity, elegance, and multi-tasking capabilities of Palm's WebOS.



    Hopefully version 2 will only improve upon these merits while bringing about a stronger app development community... Bring on the WebOS -Powered PalmPad!



    You're right... which is why it did so well while owned by Palm right?? Oh wait...
  • Reply 7 of 87
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    I propose the tag line: ?This holiday season we?re dropping an H-Palm on the wireless industry"



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    The good part of all of this: More competition for Apple (to keep them on their toes) and no more soup for Microsoft!



    I think MS will be a much bigger player than many suspect. They already are on 16% of the smartphone OSes as of a report earlier this year. I think it will WebOS that will have the hardest time getting a foorhold.
  • Reply 8 of 87
    ludwigvanludwigvan Posts: 458member
    Quote:

    Wherefore art thou, webOS?







    Wherefore means why, not where.
  • Reply 9 of 87
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    How many more arms and legs can a Black Knight have?
  • Reply 10 of 87
    glockpopglockpop Posts: 69member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LudwigVan View Post






    Wherefore means why, not where.



    No it means "for what reason" in the future sense.



    The subheading is obviously not "looking for where is the the webOS," it's asking "why are you there?"



    And Ireland, stop being a dick.
  • Reply 11 of 87
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LudwigVan View Post






    Wherefore means why, not where.



    LOL



    WebOS is an awesome OS, and I think that if HP can really dedicate time and resources they can be successful. If WinMo dies like I think it will with version 7 there will be a good 10-12% of the smartphone market for palm to grab. It won't be as big as android or iOS, but it might kill off Nokia's Symbian as well.



    In the end I think we will have Blackberry OS, Android, iOS and WebOS. Since blackberry is business only, consumer segment can accomodate 3 OSs I think.
  • Reply 12 of 87
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    You're right... which is why it did so well while owned by Palm right?? Oh wait...



    The Pre didn't fail because of WebOS. It failed because of poor hardware and they're too small to face up against Google and Apple. Now they have the backing of HP. While HP may have been forced to be in a race to the bottom with Windows, WebOS will allow them to potentially become a boutique brand like Apple because they make the hardware and software. As of today I think WebOS is more aesthetically pleasing than iOS and also has a few features I'd like on the iOS.
  • Reply 13 of 87
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    The Pre didn't fail because of WebOS. It failed because of poor hardware and they're too small to face up against Google and Apple. Now they have the backing of HP. While HP may have been forced to be in a race to the bottom with Windows, WebOS will allow them to potentially become a boutique brand like Apple because they make the hardware and software. As of today I think WebOS is more aesthetically pleasing than iOS and also has a few features I'd like on the iOS.



    How many iterations of good/bad hardware coupled with good/bad software can a company have before they get it?



    Hmmm, the software sucked, but the hardware was good. Wait, let's work on the software and then do crappy hardware. Oh, hold on, how about...wait a minute, put out a press release about how we'll get it right in Rev. B.
  • Reply 14 of 87
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    This is welcomed competition. HP makes good products.
  • Reply 15 of 87
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    The name PalmPad would seam like the wrong way to go. One, the device is too big to fit in the palm and two, they are HP, why do they need to retain the Palm brand?



    Probably atch pee pad doesn't sound so great
  • Reply 16 of 87
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    This is welcomed competition. HP makes good products.



    I think HP used to be a great brand. It's just, that all >> ALL << equipment I bought the last couple of years ( namely scanners and printers) lastet not even a year before sarting to have nozhing but problems. and consumer support was beyond lousy. Still I hope for the sake of healthy rivalery, that with the accuisition of palm, they find the out of mediocracy.
  • Reply 17 of 87
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Palm's ``IP' ' is just offensively overpriced. Experts found it out long ago the lion share of their patent library was simply useless. Infringement claims were easily beatable.

    Not sure, why HP needs to bite this piece of ``IP' ', when everyone else avoids to.

    However, WebOS seems changing hands for good ones...
  • Reply 18 of 87
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LudwigVan View Post






    Wherefore means why, not where.



    Shakespeare much?
  • Reply 19 of 87
    bartbuzzbartbuzz Posts: 131member
    More proof that Apple is the leading innovator in computers, iPods, smartphones and tablets. Competition is welcome because it will make Apple even better! Good luck HP and bring it on.
  • Reply 20 of 87
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Nothing, and I do mean N O T H I N G, in the mobile OS arena comes remotely close to the simplicity, elegance, and multi-tasking capabilities of Palm's WebOS.



    Hopefully version 2 will only improve upon these merits while bringing about a stronger app development community... Bring on the WebOS -Powered PalmPad!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    The Pre didn't fail because of WebOS. It failed because of poor hardware and they're too small to face up against Google and Apple. Now they have the backing of HP. While HP may have been forced to be in a race to the bottom with Windows, WebOS will allow them to potentially become a boutique brand like Apple because they make the hardware and software. As of today I think WebOS is more aesthetically pleasing than iOS and also has a few features I'd like on the iOS.





    It failed because no one cared. Unless they come up with a compelling differentiator, no one will care 6 months from now either. If iPhone shows up on Verizon and/or T-mobile, very few people will care about any of the 50 different "current" Android handsets. Having said that, RIM will be dead in a year so there is probably room for WebOS.



    If they are able to avoid the mistake of releasing to many products, they would have a shot at seriously rip into the mass consumer confusion that is Android. By the end of this next round of MS Exchange upgrades, RIM will be dead. Nearly all companies that plan on having employees a year from now are moving to support Exchange Activesync which is good for nearly everyone in the world except RIM. Blackberry's suck, they just managed to do a good job of getting themselves entrenched into most enterprise IT shops.



    As devices like iPads and yet-to-be-named Android tablets gain in popularity, IT will have to support them. Fortunately for all of us, that means all of our phones will be supported to. I believe blackberries may be supported to, but they will no longer have a reason to be. People will gleefully toss the worthless hunks of plastic right into the river.





    HP was one of the anchors on the race to the bottom in PCs, and only recently tried to turn it around. It will be interesting to see what HP shows up to the mobile game.
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