HP's Lack of Invention is Why webOS Failed

[aries1470]

[citation][nom]doggrell3000[/nom]dear hairballs i could be wrong about my predictions . i have been wrong before . i did not state how long these big technology companies have been in business - only that they were unknown to the mass consumer twenty five years ago . my point is that we should not underestimate the accelerating pace and sweeping change that will render our present electronic marvels completely obsolete within shorter and shorter cycles of time . as for my possible demise from a drug overdose - if it didn't happen in the seventies and eighties ( given my truly irrational behavior in those days ) then i doubt it will prove to be my final means of departing my virtual existence .[/citation]
dear doggrell3000.

It seems you may not h\even have been born back then. I was! I can tell you that in 1986, Microsft was EXTREMELY WELL KNOWN, with their MS-Dos, and all the other companies trying to copy them! like Dr-Dos etc. They were also making their DOS system available for other home computer systems besides PC's.
IBM was a MUST have, if you could afford it! It was a business computer and was starting to get in the homes too!
The 8086 & '286 clones were starting and the '386 was making its debout.

Apple was big too!!! You would want to be seen using an Apple II__ (add suffice, ie "+" / GS etc) or a MACINTOSH. Can you say that word? They were all over schools too.
HP was reknown for their printers even back then and also computers and calculators!
For Dell I am not sure. As for Google, we all know they started on a patent for a search algorithm in the late 1990's ;-)

So you my dear sir must have grown up in some other // universive, but how you crossed to ours is a mystery to me ;-)

Now my opion would be for Google to BUY that part that was PALM and get the patents too, but I think that was all that HP wanted.

I was actually hoping for a Japanese major to licence WebOS and put it out to the masses, I had even made early hardware specs for a tablet for it... Put an OMAP5, with 8Gb of LPDDR2 SoC, with a PentaBand HSPA+ Chip, Mini USB (micro USB connectors are flimy same as the cables) have bluetooth, WiFi a/b/g/n300 with special aerials, optimising 3x3:3 plus serial/IrDA (4Mbit) port (for industrial applications for those that are in the know), battery banks, think of the batteries in an average smart mobile phone that are about 1500 mAh, well x8 bays! would be sold with 2 batteries, and then just add more as everyones needs vary. Secondary mini-usb port, to support charging OTHER devices, like phone etc.
Then it was to have a 1.8" 320Gbyte HDD, 1 internal XDHC socket, 1 External XDHC and a USB 3 port, a SHARP capacitive touch screen, a Fastrax UC430 GPS, accelerometer, magentometer, 2 Gb main user FRAM (to stay with the same supplier of SoC(T.I)) or MRAM (not NAND/Flash memory), interactive Pico projector, 3D hand gesture, dual front and dual back camera's with the rear ones having optical zoom, with a minimum of 12MPx each for stereoscopic, electrostatic speakers, high quality T.I. audio solution (not mentioning specific) etc.

If anyone else is interested, I can go on in more details about specialised buttons (locations) and what not that would have knocked off nearly all current and near future Tablets!

I was trying to get contact info for Sharp, since that was the manufacturer of my choice, but did not get the direct contact info for the department I was interested.

In case any of you are unaware, they are als othe first to produce a clamshell Android phone, and also their screens are of exceptional quality.

Statement: All the above specs are my property for a concieved product, but not materialised.

 

[Guest]

Interesting news. Apple is a device maker with appealing, "sexy" user interfaces and well integrated software. Do they make anything that is "business quality"? - not really. Could they - sure, but that isn't their bread and butter. HP, like so many other business-oriented companies, haven't shown their creativity to appeal to the same customers that Apple does. Heck, I can buy three vanilla PCs for the the price of one Apple PC and you tell me which serves the customer best? The business customer and low to middle class consumer choses on price - and by the way, the HP PC lasts just as long or longer than the fragile but pretty Apple toy. It turns out that Apple wins now because of (1) Better user experience through innovation (2) Huge margins. Apparently HP has given up on their ability to compete on creativity in the consumer space - might be a good move for them if they can actually innovate in the business and services market - we'll see.

 

[Guest]

Yep, this about says it all. What I don't agree with is that WebOS was a contender when HP bought it. When Palm released it with the Pre, it was awesome, and a two horse race with iOS. But Palm dropped the ball, and it stagnated almost immediately. And as I sat and watched Android become the leader that webOS was supposed to be when it was released, over the following year, I was surprised that HP bought them. A huge influx of cash - maybe, but then nothing. No significantly different new phones (Pre plus - seriously? thats version 1.001) no new products (remember the speculation that they might not even do a tablet?). Palm might as well have sold to a financial investors firm like so many others, where the company is dismantled as they skim all the profits for stockholders, and the product dies because reinvestment is dead.

 

[annymmo]

This is ridiculous.

I agree with the other commenter s about the new CEO's vision, the lack of it actually.

The thing is, nobody cares about webOS. What did it provided in terms of running applications? Probably nothing out the ordinary. Was it stable and how was it licensed? Without hype a platform like this cannot succeed.

If you really want a platform. Try to improve something in Linux. That is base linux.

Seriously just bring out two nice (low and high end) touch PC's with amd's new Fusion apu's and a decent tablet with one of ARM's new processors.
Put Android on the arm processors.
If it's beefy enough to run windows, just run windows 7 on it.

Go into the smartphone market. Seriously, this is a big opportunity if done right.

 

[zoemayne]

HP is not a software company. From this failure it just proves to me that they didn't know what they were going to do with the OS. They just saw the potential $ from the booming mobile market and of course its a no brainer to buy, but its not a no brainer to make it a success. It takes talent and HP simply does not have the talented S/W devs like google has.

 

[intelliclint]

I have written apps for both webOS and iOS and I can tell you HP supported webOS on the developer level better than apple does. The SDK, VM, and application submission, where all free. They updated the webOS with, exhibition mode and the touchstone charger, something iOS doesn't even come close to supporting. Imaging built-in support for the thing when it is sitting around, not just another clock screensaver. They provided a java based IDE for free, that works in most browsers. They updated the frameworks, Mojo then Enyo, and rewrote their own apps to use them. The base of the OS is Linux, and the apps that work on linux work there right down to a shell. Coding for webOS was a lot easier then iOS.

If webOS failed from HP it wasn't developer support, it was promotion and patience.

Leo is a... if it isn't profitable cut it and move on... kind of guy, Mark Hurd was a... if you want a tech buy it and cut what you have... kind of guy. Neither see the big picture, that promotion, being different and proud of it is what makes a company, not the we have it too. Innovation is what we buy from another company and never take a risk.

 

[legacy7955]

[citation].If webOS failed from HP it wasn't developer support, it was promotion and patience.

Leo is a... if it isn't profitable cut it and move on... kind of guy, Mark Hurd was a... if you want a tech buy it and cut what you have... kind of guy. Neither see the big picture, that promotion, being different and proud of it is what makes a company, not the we have it too. Innovation is what we buy from another company and never take a risk.[/citation]

I think this is accurate.

Lets not forget that HP has ALWAYS been about the hardware from its very beginning. I think the company is dead if they leave the hardware business en mass.

I' bet Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard are rolling in their graves just about now.

 

[clonazepam]

[citation][nom]Chuck _ Lee[/nom]"A good read"??? Seriously. Wolfgang is a symbol of typical media F.U.D journalism in technology topics. After having relied on HP enterprise servers and storage for over a decade, your infant dribble is pathetic. No, HP doesn't need to dabble in pathetic consumer crap, but they are rock solid in the enterprise. The problem with so-called "journalists" that write these "hey, I woke up, got a Starbucks, and thought I'd write on the latest tech topic of the day" is they've never spent a day having to provide 101% uptime and it's easy on their consumer device to write whatever drivel spills out of their trap. Useless waste of thought as usual with no benefit to persons actually working IN the tech industry.[/citation]

It's a blog dude, chill...

 

[liveonc]

They should've made it run as a dual-boot Linux alternative with support for their HP Printers, scanner, cameras, webcams, tv-tuners, etc, etc... They love to bundle all sort of turd party crapware, but they had their very own OS to support all their perifials & HP brand accessories!

 

[intelliclint]

Just for those that were curious webOS 2.0.1 is linux kernel 2.6.24-palm-joplin-3480. Think of the possibles of HP letting it go and letting it and the development tools like Ares become a full open-source project.

Unload your andriod and update to webos and get the multiprocessor support google has always been promising.

 

[thee_prisoner]

[citation][nom]legacy7955[/nom][citation].If webOS failed from HP it wasn't developer support, it was promotion and patience.Leo is a... if it isn't profitable cut it and move on... kind of guy, Mark Hurd was a... if you want a tech buy it and cut what you have... kind of guy. Neither see the big picture, that promotion, being different and proud of it is what makes a company, not the we have it too. Innovation is what we buy from another company and never take a risk.[/citation]I think this is accurate.Lets not forget that HP has ALWAYS been about the hardware from its very beginning. I think the company is dead if they leave the hardware business en mass. I' bet Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard are rolling in their graves just about now.[/citation]

Both of you hit it on the head. US companies used to take time to grow their business and instead of going for a quick buck so the shareholders are happy.

Long term investment will almost always profit better then cut and run.

 

[Guest]

Web OS failure was not HP's fault. Web OS was dead before HP ever bought Palm and Web OS. You can blame HP for not taking better advantage of Web OS. But considering that Apple was into development of IOS for some time. I think Web OS could have been perfect and had a hard time acquiring consumer interest.

 

[shqtth]

I would rather develop for Palm WebOS. Way better then iOS, plus you don't get screwed in the end like iOS does to the developers.

HP shouldn't of killed Touchpads so quickly, they should of done what Apple did with the ipad2 and pretend it was sold out, while lowering production.

Really there is not that much of a demand for tablets right now as the economy sucks ass.


HP could of stretched out their inventory over the year, and it would of gained popularity. They just entered the market of tablets, thy can't expect to be #1 in less then 1 month, they have to take it slow like every one else. If the tablet is out long enough or cheap enough, then more people can recommend it, and more fererals etc. So its needs to be out for 1 month before it will sell.


Apple iTouch and iPhone was build out of iPod sales. And iPad sales came from iPhone and iTouch sales. HP has nothing. SO I don't know why they expencted to make mega sales. Also any tablet that uses android can use the fact that android has been out for a while to make sales. HP has Palm Pre and other Web OS devices, but those phones are are not used for multimedia, and the end user market that Apple is going after (the consumer) uses multimedia, and games. So since Palm Pre is not a media device or was never marketed as a media/game device, HP had nothing to build on. Also since HP killed the Palm name, is like the company is starting brand new. So in the case HP is no different then some chinese company selling tablets, except HP had a little bit more marketing dollar.

WebOS would of done great in 1 year. Just like how it took a while for Android to catch on.



So the CEO is a SOB. He wants everything now, and throws money around like it is his and he has lots of it. Treating HP like a big piggy bank for his mistakes.

If Palm was a company still, they would be happy with the sales they made, as it was enough to survive, but becuase the CEO of HP (dick head) was high margins for the Investors (People who have invested interested in every company even Apple - traitors) (Investors even try to get nintendo to make Apple rich by making nintendo develop for the iOS) so he was unhappy with the sales of a new product/new concept that did not take off yet.



So 1 month of sales is not enough, too quick to cancel a product.
Also think of all the developers (including me), who spend time developing for nothing, and all the wholesalers and distributers who got stuck with a bill due to HP CEO arrogance.


If HP made the announcement that WebOS will be discontinued in 6 month, then HP could of viewed the sales trend over 6 month more closely before making a decision (informed discussion), instead of making a childish decision. Also, Stores/developers/Distributes/Retails/Wholesalers would profit and not loose their shirts.

I honestly thing all who lost money (check out how many people are selling touch pads on ebay), should have a class action suit against the CEO, as many was hurt due to the CEO and his shady investors.

 

[shqtth]

HP webOS Developer Update


Dear webOS Developer,

We have opened the next chapter for webOS, and we understand that you must have many questions. Yesterday we announced that we will focus on the future of webOS as a software platform but we will no longer be producing webOS devices. While this was a difficult decision, it's one that will strengthen our ability to focus on further innovating with webOS as we forge our path forward. Throughout this journey, our developers will continue to be a vital part of the future of webOS.

We will continue to support, innovate and develop the webOS App Catalog. Our intent is to enhance our merchandising and presentation of your great products and to continue to build our webOS app ecosystem.

As many of you are aware, we are currently scheduled to hold many developer events around the world. We are planning to continue with these events, however, due to the recent announcements; the nature of them will change. These updates will be posted on our events registration site this coming week. We are eager to present to you the updated strategy for webOS and to hear your feedback.

Lastly, I wish to express our sincere appreciation for your ongoing support for webOS and the many teams responsible for it here at HP.
This is a particularly dynamic time in the mobile industry and sometimes tough decisions need to be made about not only what to do, but also what not to do. This has been one of those times. Together with our great webOS developer community, we are confident that we will meet the challenges ahead and build momentum for optimal success.

We will be communicating with you frequently over the next few weeks and we look forward to hearing from you throughout this process.

Thanks for your support

Richard Kerris
VP webOS Developer Relations

 

[shqtth]

[citation][nom]jescott418[/nom]Web OS failure was not HP's fault. Web OS was dead before HP ever bought Palm and Web OS. You can blame HP for not taking better advantage of Web OS. But considering that Apple was into development of IOS for some time. I think Web OS could have been perfect and had a hard time acquiring consumer interest.[/citation]


WbOS was not dead, webOS was not born yet, as it was never marketed to the masses as a media/gaming platform for smart phones and devices.

iOS was boring when it first came out, and same with Android, but they caught on as they were marketed to consumers not businesses in the first place, and also the multimedia market is huge. Everyone wants to play music, watch videos, watch Youtube, go on facebook etc.


Palm was not really a multimedia company, it was a business oriented company. And it didn't have to marketing budget to market to a wide area, so enthusiasts, loyalists, and business professionals who love Palm used their products. Killing the Palm name and rebranding everything HP was HP biggest mistake, and the Palm name has a lot of history, and that history is all over the internet. So when a person looks on the net, they know that Palm is not a newbie. But when it came to HP, they look new on the block except to the educated that knows better. Most people, especially the ones into multimedia/social networking have no clue HP bought Palm, so to them HP looks like a solution that needs to be tested, and are waiting to see.


Ipad2 and Ipad had a lot of hype due to pre-existing products.
But I am sure most people waited to see how it turned out before they bought into it.
I am talking around 6+ months. I did not buy the 3G until the iPhone was out for 1 year. ANd I know a lot of people who bought in late.
So in 1 month you can't have hype with a limited fan base (people who were fans Palm). Also just because a tablet comes out, people are not going to buy it, doesn't mater what company. Only those who need a Tablet will buy one, and since tablets are not a cheap investment, they are only going to buy a product that has hype and is known to be reliable.



So like I said, WebOS was never marketed as an Multimedia OS, and basically it was born brand new with the launch on July 1st 2011.

If killing things before they were proven was a case, then iOS would of died, same with Android. THe only difference is that, Apple already has a big fan base of multimedia oriented people who played mp3s and videos with the iPOD, so their was hype. The first iOS device sucked $#*% due to lack of apps.

 

[shqtth]

HP was arrogant - They were trying to put themselves up against apple in every way. So I agree they were copy cats.



HP can only claim that status after being out 1+ years.
Sony can do that, as Sony does multimedia, and appeals to that market.
HP is not known as a company that appeals to people who are into multimedia.

So I agree HP did mess this up big time, but HP did look competitive in a way to some android devices, but i still think the eee Transformer was a tad cheaper.

 

[shqtth]

Still I think this is funny. WebOS did not fail, HP failed webOS !!!!!!!


its like said a Baby that was just born from parents that are rich, failed because he is not making his first billion before he walks.

A Baby OS that know one knows has to take Baby steps. ANd needs love and care and nurturing. And it needs to be exposed to the love of the world so the world will love him (review sites) And if that doesn't work, offer incentives to take him home such as a free printer

 

[shqtth]

Still I think this is funny. WebOS did not fail, HP failed webOS !!!!!!!


its like said a Baby that was just born from parents that are rich, failed because he is not making his first billion before he walks.

A Baby OS that know one knows has to take Baby steps. ANd needs love and care and nurturing. And it needs to be exposed to the love of the world so the world will love him (review sites) And if that doesn't work, offer incentives to take him home such as a free printer

 

[belardo]

** ATTENTION **

Walmart is dumping the TouchPad for $100!

The ones in my area in Texas are sold out. Is Best Buy far behind?

Sad, the most PRESS and discussion about the TouchPad is its death...

 

[belardo]

shqtth:

Agreed.... HP failed WebOS.

 

[southernshark]

HP is done. Stick a fork in it. The cost cutting MBA's put it out of business.

What is the P/E when you don't make any money?

It ain't good.

 

[reggieray]

Open Source Web OS.

 

[eddieroolz]

I can give one easy reason why webOS tablets failed. It's HP's unwillingness to stay by the product.

49 days? That's nowhere enough to convince the consumers to buy them in large quantities when you're the third-tier player in the market. Of course people will stay away from something that'd be discontinued after a mere month, leaving behind broken promises and a useless hunk of plastic?

 

[Catsrules]

HP.... What the CRAP. This has to be the worst decisions I have ever heard.
If I where them, I would have continued the WebOS. But I would have dropped the prices, like they are doing now. Because lets be honest, why would I pay money for a device running a less popular OS? When for the same price I could get a Android or iOS device. You need to get the OS out there. So it will be more popular and more development for apps for it. Once you have someone on one OS they are more likely to stay with that OS when it come times to buy new Hardware. Then I can make the money on the second generation of my tablet/Phone.

 

[captaincharisma]

welcome to HP. where companies go to die