HP: No, No, We ARE in the Smartphone Market
Yesterday, HP CEO Mark Hurd ruffled a few feathers by saying the company didn't buy Palm to get into the smartphone business. Rather, HP purchased Palm for the company's IP and WebOS and wants to put WebOS on tablets, netbooks and more.
However, it seems all the talk has Mark Hurd rethinking his statement. Despite admitting at the time that "it doesn't seem to resonate well" when he tells people HP didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business, the HP CEO was last night retracted his remarks about not wanting to be in the smartphone business.
Hurd said in a statement (via Engadget) that they yes, will be putting WebOS on pretty much every web-conntected device they can get their hands on, but that includes smartphones.
When we look at the market, we see an array of interconnected devices, including tablets, printers, and of course, smartphones. We believe webOS can become the backbone for many of HP's small form factor devices, and we expect to expand webOS's footprint beyond just the smartphone market, all while leveraging our financial strength, scale, and global reach to grow in smartphones.

Dell doesn't make their own OS. But fulle did miss RIM.
That a CEO is that stupid, and has so little support in terms of advisors is hard to understand. How could this clown not know the reaction he would get, and then be surprised enough about it that he had to completely reverse himself? Why didn't his advisors, who surely he consults with, tell him what to expect?
Stuff like this is hard to understand. It shows not only a lack of intelligence, but a lack of preparation. There's nothing surprising about the reaction of people. Why was he caught flat-footed?
Symbian, webOS, iPhoneOS, RIM, Windows Mobile and many others...
I just want ONE Mobile OS that works...
And not many of them that complete each others functions (I'm talking about apps area)....
Some big investors (who have lots of shares in HP) were unhappy about the statement and got Mr. Hurd to reverse his decision and make this last statement saying that HP is getting into the SmartPhone business afterall.
Got to love big business, hehehe.
Currently they're not enough mobile operating systems available. There needs to be a mobile OS available from every software company on the planet, big or small. It's not possible to create a one size fits all OS for any general purpose computer being sold to the public.
06/03 – HP: We Didn't Buy Palm to be in the...
05/25 – HP Tablet Running Palm's WebOS...
Recent articles on THW. Note the article written on the 25th...
If you were a CEO of a company poised to release a new tablet running an OS designed by a company you just acquired, wouldn't you want to steer the public's attention toward it?
From that perspective, it would seem a bit surprising that consumers pitched a fit.
That's cool and interesting and all but no one cares. You used 'my' and 'I' over 10 times
One OS to rule them all.
One company to over price you!
Rather have the competition and options then just one OS.