http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/18/hp-will-discontinue-operations-for-webos-devices/

"In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward."

Wow. That ended quick. WebOS looks like it's over. Weird, because just today there were reports that HP would be launching a 64GB white TouchPad in Europe.

OS looked really promising. But the hardware seemed to be too fat and heavy and just didn't have the apps yet. If only it wasn't so fat and chunky it might have had a chance.


Another thing in the same press release is HP is looking into selling it's Personal Systems Group which includes PC, mobile devices, and storage. I guess kinda like what IBM did when it sold it's PC business to Lenovo.

The times they are a-changin'

 

-----signature-----

It must of been a quick and recent decision. Besides that 64GB white TouchPad arriving in Europe, the FCC also has a 7 inch TouchPad Go model arrive last week.

HP did mention that they are just discontinuing the hardware, they are not walking away from the software though and sound like they are interested in licensing it to hardware manufactures.

But I don't imagine there are any manufactures getting in line to make a WebOS device now.

http://www.slashgear.com/why-hp-is-dropping-webos-hp-comments-at-length-18172829/

The article talks about this a bit more. They mention the WebOS division lost over $300 million last quarter, so that might be part of the problem.

Regarding selling the PC business, there doesn't seem to be any known reason why HP would want to do this, it's PC business is the biggest in the world and apparently doing well. *shrug*

Outside of the enterprise (well, even within it sometimes), HP has always been known for rapidly shifting gears on things. WebOS was a dead end in my opinion. HP is better off making good hardware and partnering with Google or someone.

 

-----signature-----

Imagine how pissed all of their customers are that bought the pos.

The tablet war was short and sweet. The winner wasn't the one with the best and most powerful hardware but the one with the most apps. I find it hard to believe how so many miss this simple point. You can make the niftiest tablet with the most advanced specs ever witnessed by man but without things to actually do on it, what is the point?

 

-----signature-----

Will be interesting what happens with all the unsold tablets.

Best Buy ordered 270,000 of the tablets, but has sold less than 25,000 (and we aren't sure that number takes into account returns). Best Buy wants HP to buy the tablets back.

If these started selling for $200 I might buy one. But I suspect HP will probably just give them away with computer purchases or something like that.

Good article from Ars Technica that kinda helps things make sense.
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/08/does-apotheker-need-an-apothecary-why-hp-is-exiting-the-pc-business.ars

HP's CEO is from SAP and a software focused guy. And yesterday HP also announced it spend $10 billion on a British software company called Autonomy. Selling software has a higher profit margin and so they want to rid themselves of some of their hardware business (the printers are staying).

And with folks, including one of the engineers of the original IBM PC, claiming the PC era is coming to an end. Maybe HP figures it's come to get rid of the PC business while it still has some value.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/engineer-of-original-ibm-pc-declares-end-of-pc-era/8924

Probably not a coincide. That $10 billion HP just spent on a software company. That's apparently around what HP's PC business is worth.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/19/us-hp-asia-idUSTRE77I1VE20110819
This article looks at potential buyers. Lenovo and Samsung both have enough cash to buy the entire PC business from HP, but doesn't think either are likely to do that. Acer and ASUS don't have enough money to buy the entire business, so HP would have to sell it in pieces if either of them was interested. And they floated around the names of a few other Asian and Indian tech businesses that could possibly be interested.

It's kind of scary to think what could happen to pc's. It may be shrinking, but it's still a very large indrusty, including enterprise. I'm scared what quality is there, will fall off the earth when some no name company buys HP or Dells hardware divisions (just throwing dell in there because it's bound to happen if HP does it)

Building PC's is not a option for a big businesses.

 

-----signature-----