HP unhappy with the webOS – say goodbye to Pre and TouchPad
Hewlett Packard (HP) is unhappy with its webOS platform, which it purchased from Palm in 2010. This is the operating system that powers its smartphone the Pre and its tablet the TouchPad. This means that the HP will no longer be competing in the mobile phone and tablet markets.
The company stated that it would “discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones”.
We all heard the news that HP was planning to allow other device manufacturers to make use of their OS just like Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform. However, with Android dominating the smartphone scene, HP decided to get out and cut its losses.
HP will not only discontinue its lineup of smartphones and tablets, it will also be putting its Personal Systems Group, responsible for making HP-branded PCs, out in the market.
We were actually surprised at HP’s announcement. After all, they were among the leaders in the computer manufacturing industry. They average 48 million PCs and a million printers each year. Furthermore, the webOS is used on 300 million devices around the world. It’s such a shame that we will no longer get to see HP in the future.
With HP bowing out of the game, does this mean that there is simply no stopping Android and the iOS? Should other platforms follow suit? Let us know what you think.
