Hands0n
25th August 2011, 11:15 PM
I read a few days ago that HP have intentions of incorporating WebOS into refrigerators and then other appliances and devices. I suppose automotive transport would be another candidate for such an OS. But really? Is that it? They could have licensed the use of WebOS from Palm without purchasing the company.
I have a view that this whole jettisoning of Touchpad and Pre 3 smartphone is nothing more than an advertising exercise. Look at what happened this week. The prices of the Touchpad were brought to basement level and they sold out within hours of stores opening. The Touchpad is now as rare as Unicorn droppings unless you want to pay silly prices on eBay. And the news is then followed up that HP have recalled all Pre 3 smartphones from distribution. Another rumour is that one single supplier has bought up the lot!
The public frenzy and commentary is beyond anything that HP could have dreamt of. The whole thing has gone viral on a planetary scale. And the conspiracy theorist in me suggests that this is by intent. Sure, it is expensive, but it has to be cheaper than a year's worth of global advertising.
And look at the publicity and demand for the Touchpad and WebOS that this has created. Extraordinary.
So what is the future for WebOS?
One has to wonder where WebOS is going. I do not, for one, believe that it is about to disappear without trace, even if it is to be inside my next refrigerator. The computing world cannot lose WebOS, and there is a strong developer community around it. There still could be a future if there are any smartphone manufacturers who want to license the use of the OS.
Why would they do any such thing? Well it does seem to be the case that licensing Android is at least as expensive as Windows Mobile, although with the former there is a greater freedom to customise. And with WebOS there would be another string to a manufacturer's bow without it having to climb into bed with Microsoft and their rigid OS requirements for hardware design.
Having used a Palm Pre 2 for a short while - it is now back in its box - I would like to see the likes of HTC, Samsung, ZTE or even Huawei license WebOS onto their hardware, perhaps make it an option across a range of handsets. Imagine an HTC Desire X (I made that up) with a choice of OS for the punter. WebOS needs the larger screen of the modern smartphone, the Pre 2 and Pre 3 are too small. Delightful.
Fingers cross then that one or more smartphone manufacturers pick up WebOS. I'd like to see it survive.
I have a view that this whole jettisoning of Touchpad and Pre 3 smartphone is nothing more than an advertising exercise. Look at what happened this week. The prices of the Touchpad were brought to basement level and they sold out within hours of stores opening. The Touchpad is now as rare as Unicorn droppings unless you want to pay silly prices on eBay. And the news is then followed up that HP have recalled all Pre 3 smartphones from distribution. Another rumour is that one single supplier has bought up the lot!
The public frenzy and commentary is beyond anything that HP could have dreamt of. The whole thing has gone viral on a planetary scale. And the conspiracy theorist in me suggests that this is by intent. Sure, it is expensive, but it has to be cheaper than a year's worth of global advertising.
And look at the publicity and demand for the Touchpad and WebOS that this has created. Extraordinary.
So what is the future for WebOS?
One has to wonder where WebOS is going. I do not, for one, believe that it is about to disappear without trace, even if it is to be inside my next refrigerator. The computing world cannot lose WebOS, and there is a strong developer community around it. There still could be a future if there are any smartphone manufacturers who want to license the use of the OS.
Why would they do any such thing? Well it does seem to be the case that licensing Android is at least as expensive as Windows Mobile, although with the former there is a greater freedom to customise. And with WebOS there would be another string to a manufacturer's bow without it having to climb into bed with Microsoft and their rigid OS requirements for hardware design.
Having used a Palm Pre 2 for a short while - it is now back in its box - I would like to see the likes of HTC, Samsung, ZTE or even Huawei license WebOS onto their hardware, perhaps make it an option across a range of handsets. Imagine an HTC Desire X (I made that up) with a choice of OS for the punter. WebOS needs the larger screen of the modern smartphone, the Pre 2 and Pre 3 are too small. Delightful.
Fingers cross then that one or more smartphone manufacturers pick up WebOS. I'd like to see it survive.