HP Lets Go of Tablet and Smartphone Operations

HP has confirmed that it will be discontinuing operatings involving the TouchPad and all webOS smartphones. In an official statement, HP plans to continue exploring for “options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.” Apparently, the company believes that developing tablets and smartphones is not the way to go.

The announcement comes as a huge let down for tech observers who still hope the highly-acclaimed webOS software get the mainstream recognition it deserves, especially after HP acquired webOS creator Palm.

It is not the end of webOS, though, at least not yet. There are many options that HP might choose, including integrating webOS to devices other than tablets and smartphones such as printers and cars. HP also might be interested to heed the advise of several tech blogs. TechCrunch, for instance, tells HP to seize the opportunity set by Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility and make webOS relevant by doing these four steps: Sharing webOS’ source code; giving webOS licenses away to other hardware manufacturers for free; never develop any smartphone and tablet ever; and form a foundation separate from HP to guide the future of webOS.

Source: TechCrunch (1) and (2)

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