Hewlett-Packard is more serious about its newly acquired webOS platform than we ever thought before. It will soon be available on every new HP PC - that's what the recently appointed HP CEO, Leo Apotheker, is claiming, according to BusinessWeek:
Apotheker says he also wants to make better use of WebOS, the computer-operating system acquired last year when Hewlett- Packard purchased smartphone maker Palm Inc. for $1.2 billion. Starting next year, every one of the PCs shipped by HP will include the ability to run WebOS in addition to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, Apotheker said.The move is aimed at enticing software developers to create a wider range of applications that would differentiate HP PCs, printers, tablets and phones from those sold by rivals. "You create a massive platform," Apotheker said.
The number of apps for webOS is far below the numbers for iOS and Android: the platform only has about 6,000 to its name. Even Windows Phone 7 has more apps. HP's goal is to encourage developers to develop apps for webOS and make it a viable alternative to all the other operating systems already available.
HP completed its acquisition of Palm for $1.2 billion in July 2010. Despite suspicions by many that the company would kill webOS, so far it has done the exact opposite. Five months ago, HP officially introduced webOS 2.0, the most significant update to the platform since its launch in 2009, along with the Palm Pre 2, the first device to sport it.