WebOS is (basically) dead
This is sort of news, sort of obvious. WebOS is getting dropped from HP’s lineup starting later this year. There will be no more hardware coming from HP for WebOS, no follow up to the TouchPad, and nothing after the Pre 3 gets launched. The news broke this afternoon when HP was announcing its quarterly earnings.
What does all of this mean? Basically, try to return your TouchPad. Do everything in your power to get it away from you. Take it back to the store if you’re within your return period. If not, make a ton of noise. Call HP, Best Buy, Office Depot, and whomever else sold it to you to voice your disgust. Take to Twitter, Facebook, and any other social medium to let your disgruntled voices heard. Why not? HP screwed everyone on this, and it deserves all the backlash it can get.
Let’s think about how HP has handled this.
Six weeks ago, the TouchPad was launched. Granted, things haven’t gone smoothly for its release, but six weeks is an incredibly short period of time to want people to buy your new product just to have it killed. This wasn’t something that just came to light. HP had to have this on its mind before the TouchPad was released. I’m sure if it was wildly successful it could have been kept on life support a little longer, but it was pretty much a dud. More than likely, HP marketed and sold the TouchPad, a $500+ tablet, with the idea that it might be dead soon. That’s inexcusable.
So anyone with a TouchPad right now has a tablet that will be dropped by developers. Don’t expect HP to put much into it either, so software updates are a thing of the past. I really can’t fathom a reason to hang on to one unless it’ll end up in your personal collection of antiques.
HP is still trying to figure out how to make its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm worthwhile though, so the concept of WebOS is still floating out there. If I was a betting man, I’d say it just isn’t going to work out for them. There isn’t anything WebOS does that Android doesn’t from a usability standpoint, and Android is free (unless Apple is coming to sue).
If HP can’t even stand behind a new product, then why should anyone else? Congrats on killing a potentially awesome platform, HP. It would have been nice to see you at least try.
