HP to use WebOS in new tablets
HP CEO Meg Whitman has revealed the company plans to build new WebOS tablets, following the decision to take the software open source.
After Friday's surprise announcement, Whitman told The Verge that once the new structure becomes clear, HP could launch a follow-up to the ill-fated TouchPad tablet.
When asked whether HP will continue building WebOS hardware, she said: "The answer to that is yes but what I can't tell you is whether that will be in 2012 or not."
"But we will use webOS in new hardware, but it's just going to take us a little longer to reorganize the team in a quite different direction than we've been taking it in the past."
No more smartphones
When asked to elaborate on the kinds of gadgets HP will look to build, Whitman said the company was likely to be done with smartphones, but tablets are definitely on the table."In the near term what I would imagine - and this could change, in full disclosure - is I would think tablets, I do not believe we will be in the smartphone business again."
HP's decision to not only keep WebOS, but continue building gadgets around it represents a stunning show of faith considering the disastrous TouchPad launch earlier in this year.
Whitman admitted that the company had spent much of the second half of 2011 considering whether to sell the portfolio, but said keeping and renewing WebOS was best for the industry.
She added: "We looked at a whole bunch of opportunities, right after the mid-August announcement and the team here said 'what were the alternatives?' Wind down? Sell the portfolio? Run it like we did before, but better?
"As we looked at all the alternatives, this seemed to be the one that made the most sense for the industry, for the community, for the developer community."
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HP gifts WebOS to open source
Hewlett Packard has announced that it will contribute the WebOS operating system to the open source community rather than kill off the software.
The long-awaited announcement on the future of WebOS comes as somewhat of a surprise, with many observers expecting HP to would simply shut down or attempt to sell it.
However, the company said is passing the responsibility to developers and hardware manufacturers to continue the legacy and improve the software with new versions and applications.
This means that, just like Android, any manufacturer that wishes to use WebOS can build gadgets using the software without paying for a license.
Unleashing the creativity
HP CEO Meg Whitman said: "WebOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable."By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices."
In a statement released to the media, HP says it will continue to be an active partner in the development of the WebOS platform.
The company also says it will provide "good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation," which means that, unlike Android, it doesn't want lots of versions floating around on multiple devices.
Stay of execution
The announcement represents yet another stay of execution for the Palm-built operating system, which HP acquired for a whopping $1.2 billion in April 2010.This summer the company announced that it would be ceasing all WebOS operations following the abject failure of the HP TouchPad and HP Pre 3 smartphone to gain traction in the marketplace.
HP currently employs 600 people in its WebOS division and their fate remains to be seen. For now though, WebOS lives to fight another day.
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