Future of HP’s WebOS: The FAQ

The Future of HP's WebOS — WebOS-enabled devices from H.P.

Hewlett-Packard Crataegus laevigata be liberal up along making webOS devices such as the Pre 3 and Veer smartphones and TouchPad tablet, but executives at the company articulate intended to developing its ambulatory weapons platform. HP appears positive information technology give the axe wring some value from the rotatable OS it picked ahead after buying Palm last yr for $1.2 billion.

In a number of interviews, Stephen DeWitt, WHO heads up the HP division responsible webOS, has emphatic that webOS testament subsist on in PCs and as an embedded platform for printers and appliances. "We ready-made the decision to focus on the chopine," DeWitt recently told Engadget. "We could land webOS to the market and expand the ecosystem…We can look at licensing; we can look at OEM and ODM-type relationships." DeWitt also told Engadget that Horsepower has been in talks with 3rd parties active webOS, but declined to say which companies HP was talking to.

With such speculation about the future of webOS, it's hard to know sure what's going on. And, truth be told, it doesn't look like HP is all that certain either. Here's a quick FAQ natural covering what we live so far more or less the future of webOS.

Leave Horsepower Continue to Develop WebOS?

For the foreseeable next, HP says it will go forward to process and invest in webOS. Dewitt told Bloomberg that the company plans to evolve, update, and support webOS.

Are WebOS Updates Coming to Current Devices?

Yes, DeWitt says updates for the Veer and the TouchPad will continue, but information technology's unclear when that would change.

Where Will WebOS Show Up Following?

H.P. says it is still committed to development webOS for PCs and for printers. So you may still see the mobile OS exhibit au courant HP computers in the nigh future. HP earlier this year said it planned to use webOS as an enhancement to Windows that would allow for synchronization between mobile webOS devices and HP PCs.

The forthcoming of the company's PC business is still unclear. HP recently said IT wants to get out of the consumer twist patronage, but HP's consumer PC business will continue normal operations until it has been spun off, sold, or meets another fate.

Horsepower's webOS May also show up up as a political program for devices beyond printers, phones, and tablets. "There are going to be appliances of so umpteen different sizes and shapes in the future that are departure to require a human interface for data," DeWitt told Bloomberg, suggesting future appliances could run webOS.

Horsepower is currently searching for potentiality webOS partners to help make its platform dreams a reality. "HP webOS is an awesome software platform and now we can explore the best hardware partner for IT," Richard Kerris, HP's vice president of worldwide developer relations for webOS, late said on Twitter.

HP's hopes for a "webOS everywhere" scheme may be wishful thinking, nonetheless, as Linux and Microsoft already have a stiff foothold as platforms for financial trading, motorcycles, cars, and numerous other devices.

What About the HP App Catalog?

HP claims it is still endowed in attracting developers to make over apps for webOS. "We will continue to support, innovate, and develop the webOS App Catalog. Our intent is to heighten our merchandising and presentation of your great products and to preserve to build our webOS app ecosystem," Kerris said recently on the HP webOS Developer Blog.

But convincing developers to adorn time and money in a platform without any new devices in the pipeline North Korean won't be easy. HP English hawthorn be in self-renunciation about this, but Microsoft already smells blood in the water and is circling around webOS devs World Health Organization might cost looking to bond on HP.

Brandon Thomas Augustus Watson, Microsoft's managing director of developer experience for Windows Phone 7, on Chitter newly promised webOS developers–with already published apps–free development phones and another enticements to develop for Phone 7. The ploy appears to be attracting interest from a number of webOS devs.

Will HP Sell WebOS?

That's certainly a possibleness. At that place have been many reports speculating that HP's patents for webOS could prove enticing to competitors such as Dell or LG. For right away, however, HP is hoping to license webOS to third parties. But it's unclear whether hardware makers committed to Google's Android such as HTC surgery Samsung would be willing to dumpsite their investments for a comparatively on trial mobile political program. Samsung, however, is reportedly concerned about Android after Google recently announced it intends to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 1000000000. So, maybe there's all the same hope for future webOS handsets.

What About Open Source?

So far, HP wants to hold onto webOS and hopes to build up IT further. Approximately Crataegus laevigata want to see webOS under an open origin certify, merely at this point that doesn't appear likely.

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