With Microsoft’s planned launch of the Surface tablet, the full cost of Hewlett-Packard’s grotestque mishandling of the purchase and abandonment of Palm’s webOS has become clear. HP’s Personal Systems Group now finds itself in the worst of all possible worlds, facing competition from its most important supplier in what should be its hottest market.
HP’s purchase of Palm in early 2010 was a strategic move by PSG chief Todd Bradley and then CEO Mark Hurd both to move HP into the increasingly important smartphone market and to win a measure of independence from Microsoft. The key was webOS, a rough-edged but highly promising operating system.
HP’s plans for webOS were ambitious. A tablet, the TouchPad, was added to Palm’s planned lineup of new phones and a version of webOS was being developed to run on top of Windows to create an HP webOS ecosystem across a wide variety of devices.
Alas, the whole project was caught up in HP’s boardroom melodrama. Mark Hurd was replaced by Léo Apoteker, who had little love for PSG in general or webOS in particular. The TouchPad was rushed to market before it was ready and sold poorly. Barely two months after the TouchPad’s launch, Apoteker killed the entire webOS effort, leaving HP with nothing but a huge writedown for development costs and inventory.
Although the replacement of Apoteker by Meg Whitman spared PSG from possible spin-out or sale, it hasn’t solved its fundamental problem. It’s the dominant player in a PC business that is barely profitable and seems doomed to continue its slow shrinkage. It’s not a player in smartphones and by the time it enters the tablet market, if indeed it still plans to, it will be competing directly with Microsoft-branded products.
It is becoming painfully clear that the future of personal computing belongs to those who control integrated platforms: Apple, Microsoft, and maybe Google. It’s impossible to say where the webOS vision would have taken HP had it been given the investment and time it needed for success. But it is all too clear where its failure has left the company.
HP is a stool with three rickety legs. Personal computers produce neither growth nor a lot of profit. The cash cow of imaging and printing also faces a long, slow decline. And the enterprise business—servers, software, and services—is heavily dependent on partners such as Intel, Microsoft, and, on a good day, Oracle.
The cost of the webOS misadventure was far less than the $10.3 billion HP for analytics software maker Autonomy, an Apoteker acquisition on which the jury is still out. But the price of the failure may end up being far higher: The loss of HP’s ability to shape its own destiny.
yup you’re right. Hp made bad decisions while run briefly by leo. MS probably encouraged them to drop webos not mentioning that MS would be making tablets themselves soon. Maybe whitman can use this to add resources to the barebones openwebos division. If no oems take up webos then hp should make a webos tablet themselves as a hedge.
Nice piece. I think you nailed it.
I will say this. I’m not sure if HP could have pulled off webOS anyway. (Not that that excuses the way they mishandled the situation.) The webOS software looked like a really well put together operating system. But you’ve got to have good hardware too and, frankly, HP’s hardware standards have appeared to drop to unacceptably low levels.
But most importantly, you’ve got to have a supporting ecosystem. And ecosystems are huge and hugely expensive. I don’t think HP had any intention of investing the resources necessary to create an ecosystem that could have measured up to those established by Apple, Google and Microsoft.
If your’e going to go into the platform business, you’ve got to go all in. HP barely dipped their toe in the water before they bailed out.
I always felt that HP’s vision for WebOS was actually one of the few ways they had the potential to chart their own destiny, i.e. control their own integrated platform. But I also felt they would have to be incredibly patient and focused to execute that vision. (It took Apple 10 years to get from NEXT to iPhone, for example.)
But HP’s execution was an absolute fiasco.
Now they are back to square one: completely dependent on third parties for strategic parts of their future.
This article is right on point. HP screwed up big time. They needed to invest and give WebOs a chance.
Faulty reasoning in the article, I’m afraid. WebOS is just an operating system, and as you said…Apple, Microsoft, and Google control platforms/ecosystems that go across devices and form factors. It took Apple years to leverage the iPod brand and develop iOS and the iPad. It took Microsoft years to build the Xbox ecosystem and build the Zune catalog. It took Google years to build Google Maps and Gmail. What assets does HP have to contribute to a mobile ecosystem?
Nothing. All they can do is rebrand stuff like Roxio’s video platform into the “HP Movie Store” or some music streaming service they acquired into the “HP Music Store”. Even companies who provide a huge content ecosystem and price devices to sell like Amazon are hardly disrupting the market (nor do they mean to, as the Kindle Fire is essentially an electronic vending machine for Amazon products).
What sense would it make for HP to go for years and tens of billions into the red to do this when they aren’t a software or content company? WebOS was a nice potential-filled OS that was born in the age of ecosystems. Kinda like being one of the fastest, sleekest horse-drawn carriages made when automobiles became widespread.
“The Kindle Fire is essentially an electronic vending machine for Amazon products.”
Definitely true!
webOS was much more than what you make it out to be and had more potential than it sounds like you were aware. But HP has no one else to blame but themselves….
Amen. The original goal of HP PSG was to create exactly the kind of ecosystem StrikeThree is talking about. But they could barely get started in the six months they were given by top corporate management.
Don’t forget: Apple and Samsung are eating up all the profits in mobile. HP is not alone in it’s position. A huge number of OEMs must find a way to innovate or yield the field. webOS going open source truly is a way for a smart, hungry OEM to offer something different in a market place overcrowded with sameness. It is an elegant and intuitive UI that has been tested in the field and does not need to built from the ground up.
If OpenMobile releases ACL this fall as promised it will negate the lack of an ecosystem argument that is the main hue and cry of webOS detractors.
Great post and right on the money…. literally
The folks at Palm did understand this. I had conversations with them a long time ago about how they were going about building an integrated hardware software platform and their belief that with a “standard” platform you run the risk of (1) divergence/fracturing from an ecosystem standpoint or (2) homogenization since everyone is running the same software. Neither are fun, especially if you are fundamentally a hardware company.
What Palm didn’t have was cash to invest in the grand vision, so the purchase by HP made a lot of sense. They got a team that was focused on doing what was right and they had the cash to put into doing it. If they had done it right and stuck with it, they could have made something of it. But they abandoned it before it got a chance to even get off the ground.
But now HP has a serious problem and I see no way to recover from it.
unless they buy rim HP are screwed
very satisfying in terms of information thank you very much.
We always follow your beautiful content, I look forward to the continuation.
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several e-mails with the
same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Many thanks!
Thanks for finally writing about > Microsoft Surface Reveals the Cost of HP’
s webOS Folly – Tech.pinions < Liked it!
Its like you learn my thoughts! You appear to know a lot about this, such as you wrote the
e book in it or something. I believe that you can do with
a few % to drive the message house a bit,
but instead of that, that is magnificent blog. A great
read. I will definitely be back.
This paragraph gives clear idea for the new viewers of blogging, that actually how to do blogging and site-building.
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you
been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is fantastic, as well as the content!
great submit, very informative. I’m wondering why the other specialists of
this sector don’t understand this. You must proceed your writing.
I’m confident, you’ve a great readers’ base already!
Most on-line casinos focus their promotions on slot and otherr games.
Feel free to surf to my website – 바카라사이트 추천
Ι’m gone too say to myy littⅼe brother, tha he should also visxit this weblog on regular basis to takе սpdated from newest news.
I feel that is among the so much significant information for me.
And i’m happy studying your article. However wanna statement on few basic things,
The site taste is perfect, the articles is truly excellent :
D. Excellent task, cheers
Hi there i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this paragraph i thought i could also make
comment due to this brilliant paragraph.
This piece of writing will help the internet visitors for
building up new web site or even a weblog from start to end.
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a material!
present here at this blog, thanks admin of this website.
We’re a group of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community.
Your site offered us with valuable info to work on. You’ve
done an impressive activity and our whole neighborhood
will probably be grateful to you.
Hello, just wanted to mention, I loved this blog post. It was funny.
Keep on posting!
%%
What’s up i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere,
when i read this piece of writing i thought i could also create comment due to this
good article.
mexico drug stores pharmacies: buying prescription drugs in mexico – mexican pharmaceuticals online
best online pharmacy india https://indiaph24.store/# world pharmacy india
Online medicine home delivery
ciprofloxacin mail online ciprofloxacin order online buy cipro online canada
https://ciprofloxacin.tech/# cipro
get cheap propecia pill: buying cheap propecia prices – propecia no prescription
buy cytotec buy cytotec pills Cytotec 200mcg price
buy nolvadex online: alternatives to tamoxifen – nolvadex for sale amazon
ciprofloxacin п»їcipro generic ciprofloxacin generic price
https://finasteride.store/# generic propecia without prescription
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# where can i buy cipro online
Viagra online price Buy generic 100mg Viagra online Viagra without a doctor prescription Canada
http://cenforce.pro/# Buy Cenforce 100mg Online
cheap viagra: Cheapest place to buy Viagra – Viagra online price
https://cenforce.pro/# cenforce.pro
Levitra online USA fast Buy generic Levitra online Levitra generic best price
buy Viagra over the counter: Buy generic 100mg Viagra online – Cheapest Sildenafil online
buy Kamagra: buy kamagra online – п»їkamagra
Cenforce 150 mg online Buy Cenforce 100mg Online Cenforce 150 mg online
Order Viagra 50 mg online: viagras.online – sildenafil 50 mg price
Cenforce 100mg tablets for sale Buy Cenforce 100mg Online Buy Cenforce 100mg Online
https://kamagra.win/# Kamagra 100mg price
order prescription from canada online pharmacy no prescriptions п»їonline pharmacy no prescription needed
online drugs without prescription: canadian mail order prescriptions – online meds without prescription
online canadian pharmacy coupon cheapest pharmacy canadian pharmacy coupon
reputable canadian online pharmacy: 77 canadian pharmacy – canadian drugs pharmacy
canadian pharmacy ltd best rated canadian pharmacy buy drugs from canada
no prescription pharmacy paypal: cheapest pharmacy – cheapest pharmacy for prescription drugs
purple pharmacy mexico price list: mexican drugstore online – п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
mexican pharmaceuticals online: mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa – buying from online mexican pharmacy
buying prescription drugs in mexico п»їbest mexican online pharmacies mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
india online pharmacy: Online medicine home delivery – legitimate online pharmacies india
canada drugs online review reputable canadian pharmacy canadian drug stores
online medication without prescription: canada prescription – buying prescription drugs online canada
canadian pharmacy world: canadian pharmacy 24h com safe – canadian pharmacy online
doxycycline 100mg price: doxycycline order online – doxycycline 100mg dogs
neurontin price australia: neurontin 800 mg cost – neurontin 2018
gabapentin gabapentin online order neurontin online
neurontin capsule 600mg: neurontin 1800 mg – buy cheap neurontin online
where can i buy zithromax medicine: azithromycin zithromax – where can you buy zithromax
zithromax buy online no prescription: zithromax 500 price – zithromax over the counter uk
amoxicillin 500 tablet amoxicillin for sale online prescription for amoxicillin
20 mg prednisone tablet: prednisone uk price – prednisone cream brand name
where to get doxycycline doxycycline 50mg buy doxycycline online without prescription
prednisone 2 mg: prednisone 10mg tablets – generic prednisone tablets
875 mg amoxicillin cost: buying amoxicillin online – amoxicillin without a doctors prescription
doxycycline 200 mg doxycycline generic doxycycline 100mg online
zithromax 250 mg australia: zithromax 250mg – can i buy zithromax over the counter
doxycycline buy doxycycline for dogs odering doxycycline
neurontin price: drug neurontin – neurontin 4 mg
buy zithromax canada: buy zithromax 500mg online – buy cheap generic zithromax
32 neurontin: buying neurontin without a prescription – neurontin 100mg capsule price
buy prednisone online from canada prednisone purchase online 5mg prednisone
doxycycline 500mg: doxycycline 50 mg – doxycycline tablets
buy doxycycline online without prescription: buy generic doxycycline – doxy 200
where to buy prednisone 20mg no prescription prednisone 10mg online apo prednisone
amoxicillin 250 mg capsule: where to buy amoxicillin over the counter – can i buy amoxicillin over the counter in australia
over the counter amoxicillin canada: amoxacillian without a percription – where can i buy amoxocillin
zithromax 500mg price in india zithromax 500 mg lowest price pharmacy online zithromax 250 mg australia
prednisone 20mg prescription cost: prednisone best price – buy prednisone online without a prescription
zithromax drug buy azithromycin zithromax buy zithromax online fast shipping
prednisone 50 mg buy: prednisone no rx – prednisone 20mg cheap
can i purchase amoxicillin online: generic for amoxicillin – amoxicillin 500 mg capsule
purchase zithromax z-pak can i buy zithromax over the counter azithromycin zithromax
medication from mexico pharmacy buying prescription drugs in mexico mexico drug stores pharmacies
medicine in mexico pharmacies: mexican rx online – mexican mail order pharmacies
medication from mexico pharmacy: mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa – best online pharmacies in mexico
mexican drugstore online mexican pharmaceuticals online mexico drug stores pharmacies
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: mexico drug stores pharmacies – mexico drug stores pharmacies
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs buying from online mexican pharmacy buying prescription drugs in mexico
medicine in mexico pharmacies: pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa – mexico pharmacy
http://mexicanpharmacy1st.com/# best online pharmacies in mexico
mexico drug stores pharmacies buying prescription drugs in mexico best online pharmacies in mexico
medication from mexico pharmacy: purple pharmacy mexico price list – mexican pharmacy
best online pharmacies in mexico medicine in mexico pharmacies mexico drug stores pharmacies
https://mexicanpharmacy1st.shop/# purple pharmacy mexico price list
buying prescription drugs in mexico: п»їbest mexican online pharmacies – reputable mexican pharmacies online
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: mexico drug stores pharmacies – best online pharmacies in mexico
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa reputable mexican pharmacies online mexican pharmacy
https://mexicanpharmacy1st.shop/# best online pharmacies in mexico
where to get clomid without dr prescription can i buy cheap clomid tablets can i purchase cheap clomid no prescription
buy neurontin online no prescription: neurontin for sale online – 300 mg neurontin
best no prescription online pharmacy: order prescription drugs online without doctor – no prescription canadian pharmacies
http://36and6health.com/# canadian pharmacy world coupon
http://cheapestcanada.com/# cheapest pharmacy canada
Farmacie online sicure: farmacia online senza ricetta – farmacia online
farmacia en casa online descuento: farmacia online madrid – п»їfarmacia online espaГ±a
farmacie online affidabili: Farmacia online piГ№ conveniente – Farmacie on line spedizione gratuita
acquistare farmaci senza ricetta: Farmacia online piГ№ conveniente – farmacia online senza ricetta
http://eufarmaciaonline.com/# farmacia online 24 horas
internet apotheke: internet apotheke – internet apotheke