Must Read: Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet: Beating the iPad mini (review)

Topic: Android

HP bids adieu to WebOS, Windows RT, and says hello to Android

Summary: HP may have finally decided on its primary tablet and smartphone operating system, and it's not WebOS or Windows, it's Android.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

By for Linux and Open Source |

While HP still hasn't made it official, sources are reporting that HP has decided that at least part of its tablet and smartphone future lies not with Windows or WebOS but with Google's Android. Who'd thought it!?

android-200x150
HP appears to have decided to go with Android for tablets and, eventually, smartphones.

Well, I for one did. Look at the facts. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that in the last quarter Apple sold 23-million iPads, while HP—the world’s largest PC maker—sold 15-million PCs. And, who's catching up with the iPad in a great hurry? According to IDC that would be Android tablets. Since there's no way in heaven and earth, HP will ever be selling iPads, HP CEO Meg Whitman is hitching HP's wagon to Android's ascending star.

In a way, it's rather sad. HP looked like it had a winner of its very own with the Linux-based WebOS. Back in the summer of 2011, reviewers loved the WebOS powered HP TouchPad. Then, not even two months after the HP introduced the TouchPad, they killed it.

I'm still not sure why HP did this, Some have suggested that HP dumped the TouchPad because it was sluggish. Everyone I knew who ever had one loved it.

HP then promised that to open source WebOS and all would be well with it. Yeah. Right. HP soon made it clear that they were dumping WebOS and had no intention of doing anything with it on their own hardware.

You might think that HP would then turn to its long-time partner Microsoft for its tablet and smartphone operating system needs. And, indeed, HP is doing some work with Windows 8 tablets. There is, for example, the hybrid HP Envy X2 tablet/ultrabook. Unfortunately, HP, along with other Windows 8 tablet makers, is still waiting on the arrival of Intel Atom Z2760 Clover Trail processors.

In the meantime, Microsoft is still using its own newly launched Windows 8-powered Surface Pro tablet against HP and its other partners. With friends like Microsoft, who needs enemies when it comes to Windows tablets?

As for Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 for ARM-powered devices, HP has never shown any interest in it. In fact, Todd Bradley, the head of HP's PC business, said of the Surface RT that "I'd hardly call Surface competition." Bradley explained in an interview with CITEworld that Surface RT has “very limited distribution. It tends to be slow and a little kludgey as you use it .... It's expensive. Holistically, the press has made a bigger deal out of Surface than what the world has chosen to believe."

Ouch!

Of course, given Surface RT's market track-record so far, it's hard to argue with Bradley's assessment.

So, looking ahead, it appears HP has made its mobile operating system choice. While Windows 8 tablets will get at least some support, in the future I believe HP will be committing itself to Android.

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Topics: Android, Hardware, Hewlett-Packard, Mobile OS, Mobility, Operating Systems, Smartphones, Tablets, Windows 8

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113 comments
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  • Awesome!!

    iOS and Android are the future of the mobile market...not Windows.

    How can you trust a CEO who laughed at iPod, iPhone, and iPad?

    Take a trip down memory lane and laugh at Ballmer:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywi0h_Y5_U
    toddbottom7
    Reply 7 Votes

    • How can you trust a CEO who laughed...

      So why you trust Jobs and Cook? They laughed of so many ideas... ideas eventually they adapted or patented, or both.
      Mr.SV
      Reply 5 Votes

      • or

        simply stole.
        timspublic1@...
        Reply 4 Votes

        • Not really

          The subject.
          DDERSSS
          Reply Vote

    • iOS and Andorid = Zero is enterprise = FAIL

      CloggedBottom,

      Ballmer will have the last laugh, not Tim Cook....
      Owlll1net
      Reply 6 Votes

      • Ballmer

        is a laugh. Android is and will continue to be the most used and most popular. Anyone who is this late to the game needs that kind of mogo. iOS is a joke, Windoz earns it's name even more on a small device.
        timspublic1@...
        Reply 6 Votes

        • To "continue to be the most used" you first have to be the most used.

          And Android is far from that in the mobile space. Far Far Far from it.
          Bruizer
          Reply 1 Vote

      • Yeah, he'll be laughing

        When he either strokes out from clogged arteries or dies of a heart attack choking on a giant Blimpie.
        toddbottom7
        Reply Vote

      • It's not true

        Apple devices have a strong presence in enterprises, also from recent studies they are very desirable there.
        There is no evidence that without enterprise mobile devices will fail, android is an example of that, BB the opposite.
        Ballmer must hurry up and even if he beats all the competition he must work on those laughs :-)
        AleMartin
        Reply 1 Vote

        • they have presence

          as toys for executives who pretend they are "working"
          polarcat
          Reply 3 Votes

          • The use they are giving to them

            it's irrelevant.
            If people buy iPads to place their glass of water or do something more productive, it's a different theme imo.
            AleMartin
            Reply Vote

        • they have presence

          as toys for executives who pretend they are "working"
          polarcat
          Reply 1 Vote

        • The future

          Forget these Android fan boy. Corporates run away from Android as it's full of virus. Microsoft have filled the gap between tablet and PC with Windows 8. As you use Windows 8 work, it will make it easy for you to use it at home, so as the Windows phone. It is true iPad is desirable but for how long? Once you found out your desirable iPad is not as good as other tablets, you 'll jump ship.
          jonnybr
          Reply Vote

          • That's not the future

            ...that's an alternate universe, where Steve Ballmer does not exist and Microsoft is a innovative, competitive company, Windows 8 is highly acclaimed, and is immune to malware
            james.vandamme
            Reply Vote

      • Owlll1net W-* and W-Phone = Zero is enterprise = FAIL

        Loverock Davidson & Owlll1net = CloggedBottom mentaility,

        Ballmer is the the last laugh, not Tim Cook....
        Linux_Lives
        Reply 3 Votes

      • will have, will be

        just wait...
        poor microsoft fanboys they spend their life waiting, waiting...
        must be hard to cheer for the losing horse.
        theo_durcan
        Reply 1 Vote

    • Yawn. Your fear is showing cloggeddbottom7

      How can you trust a company that self destructed on it's own?

      http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/8-stocks-that-wont-live-to-2020

      See, I can do that too, it's easy!
      William Farrel
      Reply 6 Votes

      • Owllturd and Will Fecal 5 minutes apart in posts

        The fail alter is strong in this one.
        toddbottom7
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Again you're right

          These guys are all paid by M$ to post FUD here. Only an idiot would buy M$ crap when Apple is way ahead of everyone, M$ the most.
          I Am Galactus
          Reply 1 Vote

          • Damn I was right

            Galactus preceded by his herald. Toddbottom is the Silver Surfer (when he was in his evil phase of course).
            Tony_McS
            Reply 3 Votes
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