HP drop WebOS - Think hard if buying a Pre Phone / HP Tablet.

gjchester

HP have just discontinued operations on the entire WebOS product line. Reading that in real english they've canned it for now.

This is not intended to be a WebOS Vs Android/iOS/WM thread but simply a warning, these devices will be unlikly to get any further upgrades or development for the maker and developers will probably look elsewhere too as the OS currently has no future.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/18/hp-will-discontinue-operations-for-webos-devices/

They may be cheap in the coming weeks and months as stores clear stocks, and it's possible that the developer comunity may mod them so they run android, but if you buy one you run the risk of little or no future upgrades or support.

It's possible WebOS may be licenced out or go open source, but if you about to pay £300/£400 on a phone and tablet you may want to look elsewhere.

MissKeith

Good grief, that's surprised me. I'm in the market for a tablet and the HP Touchpad caught my eye. I think I'll avoid now, thanks for the heads up.

cheshirestu

Or another way of looking at it is that it could become a real bargain device. Yes the Operating System is unlikely to be updated but if you want a tablet that is considerably cheaper than an iPad and are mainly interested in Web Surfing and viewing a few movies etc. then it could become a great buy if the prices start to fall as shops want to get rid of them.

gjchester

cheshirestu wrote: »

Or another way of looking at it is that it could become a real bargain device. Yes the Operating System is unlikely to be updated but if you want a tablet that is considerably cheaper than an iPad and are mainly interested in Web Surfing and viewing a few movies etc. then it could become a great buy if the prices start to fall as shops want to get rid of them.

Yep As I said it's possible someone may buy WebOS, it's possible they will be a lot cheaper soon, or someone can mod it so android run on it.

The aim was so at least people KNOW it's will have limited future support before paying full RRP, if you get it cheaper and know the risks it may well be a bargain.

cgk1

The Pre 3 was released in the UK on Tuesday and was canned on Thursday!

I'd pick one of those up in a firesale (for maybe £50) but you'd be mad to get one on a long contract or for full price. Whatever apps are available will be it, there will be limited developer support and that will die off pretty quickly.

c-m

It really makes no odd though. All the devices will still function as they were intended. Most people will only keep a device for the duration of their contract and it unlikely you'd see any updates in that time anyway. So don't think that hard, but haggle on price ;-)

almillar

I've got a Touchpad and it's great. I wouldn't worry about stocks of phones being run out cheaply, there aren't any! the OS is not dead (yet). The announcement was that they're not making any more hardware. They also mentioned that they're thinking of getting rid of PCs too, maybe people should stop buying HP computers!
My advice is not don't buy, it's wait a couple of weeks to see what they decide to do with the OS. There are plenty of apps available now, and that number will only go up, not down.

cgk1

almillar wrote: »

I've got a Touchpad and it's great. I wouldn't worry about stocks of phones being run out cheaply, there aren't any! the OS is not dead (yet). The announcement was that they're not making any more hardware. They also mentioned that they're thinking of getting rid of PCs too, maybe people should stop buying HP computers!
My advice is not don't buy, it's wait a couple of weeks to see what they decide to do with the OS. There are plenty of apps available now, and that number will only go up, not down.

That's just fantasy, nobody is going to pump money into a dead platform.

stugib

almillar wrote: »

the OS is not dead (yet). The announcement was that they're not making any more hardware.

Well if HP are concentrating on being a software company, I suppose Google succeeded from a zero starting point with just an OS and no hardware of their own, but with Apple, Google/Motorola, Microsoft/Nokia I just don't see where the gap in the market is and why manufacturers would choose an OS that's already failed to make inroads over 2+ years?

Where's the incentive for developers? We heard all these arguments on here (even nsabournemouth has admitted defeat ) when HP bought Palm and how they'd get behind it and it would be a serious platform.

cgk1

Without hardware, a OS is dead - even if they sold off the OS, it would take at least six months to complete the deal and then maybe another twelve months to generate the hardware. No developer is going to hang around for that period of time.

Moreover, who is going to want to buy an OS that the world's biggest technology company failed to make work and cost them $330 million in losses in the last quarter alone and is now requiring a Billion dollar write-off.

WebOS is dead, the corpse will still twitch for a bit.

cgk1

Just in case anyone is interested still - HP started a fire sale in the US yesterday with the Touchpad reduced to $99, so we might see similar movement in the UK.