Just 16 months after announcing the acquisition of Palm, HP has said today that it will "discontinue operations for webOS devices," saying that the units (presumably the TouchPad, Pre series, and Veer) have "not met internal milestones and financial targets." What this means for existing stock of the slow-selling TouchPad and the brand new Pre 3 is unclear, but the company does say that it will "continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward" -- not exactly rosy language for webOS' future as a consumer platform. In fact, it seems like a strong possibility that HP is done with webOS altogether -- it'd be an odd play to keep it relegated to printers and the enterprise side of the business if it's not going to be involved on the device side. Licensing to third parties remains a possibility, but we haven't heard anything on that front.
Ex-HP CEO Mark Hurd famously said in the wake of the Palm acquisition that it hadn't bought webOS "to be in the smartphone business," and it'd seem he's finally gotten his way -- though it would seem that his dream of deploying webOS on countless other HP devices ranging from printers to PCs would be in dire jeopardy at best.
In fact -- as reported earlier -- HP is looking at "strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group" up to and including a spinoff. PSG includes the company's desktops, laptops, hard drives, and webOS products, so this basically confirms HP's intent to get out of the hardware game and move in the direction of software and services.
Needless to say, this makes the upcoming earnings call much more interesting, so be sure to stick around for our liveblog. See the full press release -- plus a roundup of all our coverage of HP, Palm, and webOS -- after the break.
Update: The other part of the HP rumor mill today -- the acquisition of software firm Autonomy -- is now official, which definitely advances HP's position as an enterprise player... and moves it further away from the consumer tech business, too.
HP Confirms Discussions with Autonomy Corporation plc Regarding Possible Business Combination; Makes Other Announcements
HP today commented on the recent announcement by Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU.L). HP confirms that it is in discussions with Autonomy regarding a possible offer for the company.
HP also reported that it plans to announce that its board of directors has authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG). HP will consider a broad range of options that may include, among others, a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction.
In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.
HP today announced preliminary results for the third fiscal quarter 2011, with revenue of $31.2 billion compared with $30.7 billion one year ago.
In the third quarter, preliminary GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.93 and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.10, compared with third quarter fiscal 2010 GAAP diluted EPS of $0.75 and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.08. Non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangible assets of approximately $0.17 per share and $0.33 per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively.
For the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, HP estimates revenue of approximately $32.1 billion to $32.5 billion, GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $0.44 to $0.55, and non-GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $1.12 to $1.16. Non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance excludes after-tax costs of approximately $0.61 to $0.68 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
HP estimates full-year FY11 revenue will be approximately $127.2 billion to $127.6 billion, down from its previous estimate of $129 billion to $130 billion. FY11 GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $3.59 to $3.70, down from its previous estimate of at least $4.27, and FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $4.82 to $4.86, down from its previous estimate of at least $5.00. FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $1.16 to 1.23 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
HP will host a conference call with the financial community today at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET to discuss these announcements well as HP’s third quarter 2011 financial results. The call is accessible via an audio webcast at www.hp.com/investor/2011q3webcast.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.
Use of non-GAAP financial information
To supplement HP’s consolidated condensed financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, HP provides non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash. HP also provides forecasts of non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. A reconciliation of the adjustments to GAAP results for this quarter and prior periods is included in the tables below. In addition, an explanation of the ways in which HP management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate its business, the substance behind HP management’s decision to use these non-GAAP measures, the material limitations associated with the use of these non-GAAP measures, the manner in which HP management compensates for those limitations, and the substantive reasons why HP management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors is included under "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" after the tables below. This additional non-GAAP financial information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating profit, operating margin, net earnings, diluted earnings per share, or cash and cash equivalents prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Forward-looking statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to any projections of revenue, margins, expenses, earnings, tax provisions, cash flows, benefit obligations, share repurchases, currency exchange rates, the impact of acquisitions or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, the exploration of strategic options for PSG and the execution of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; any statements concerning the expected development, performance or market share relating to products or services; any statements regarding current or future macroeconomic trends or events and the impact of those trends and events on HP and its financial performance; any statements regarding pending business combination transactions; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its suppliers, customers and partners; the protection of HP’s intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; the possibility that the expected benefits of pending business combination transactions may not materialize as expected or that the transactions may not be timely completed; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2011. As in prior periods, the financial information set forth in this release, including tax-related items, reflects estimates based on information available at this time. While HP believes these estimates to be meaningful, these amounts could differ materially from actual reported amounts in HP’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2011. In particular, determining HP’s actual tax balances and provisions as of July 31, 2011 requires extensive internal and external review of tax data (including consolidating and reviewing the tax provisions of numerous domestic and foreign entities), which is being completed in the ordinary course of preparing HP’s Form 10-Q. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
HP, Palm, and webOS: more coverage
Veer 4G review
HP's Leo Apotheker, live from D9
HP CEO: we would be ‘open’ to licensing webOS to companies like HTC (update: video!)
HP offers Pre and Pixi owners $50 mail-in rebate on the $599 TouchPad, but is that enough?
HP ‘talking to a number of companies’ about potential webOS licensing, Jon Rubinstein gives us the lowdown
HP TouchPad shipping July 1 for $499, pre-orders begin June 19 — and AT&T model coming soon
HP TouchPad review
Exclusive: Pre 3 not coming to Sprint
HP shakeup: webOS now led by Stephen DeWitt, Jon Rubinstein in charge of ‘product innovation’
HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on
Interview: HP’s Stephen DeWitt and Jon Rubinstein on webOS, the death of Palm, and partnering with Amazon
HP TouchPad 4G announced for AT&T with faster processor
HP TouchPad update rolling out today
TouchPad update brings speed, stability, and questions about that early July release
HP TouchPad gets permanent $100 price cut: $399 for 16GB, effective now
TouchPad Go, HP’s 7-inch webOS tablet, hits FCC
Pre 3 now shipping in the UK; US coming ‘soon’
Comments
Are you frigging kidding me? What the hell was the point in buying Palm then? I find all of this so strange.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:18 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:22 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
…oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:25 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wow. This makes the Kin 1&2 look like a smashing success.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:31 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
WP7 wins again. another one bites the dust.
next: android. TIME TO PAY THE PATENT FEE
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:37 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
… to Motorola, Mr Steve Jobs…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Microsoft did the exact same thing with nokia lol
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:46 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
wrong, they dont own nokia, so there is no conflict of interest.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:33 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
sure, ex-Microsoft guy goes to Nokia and screws it up, no conflict of interest
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:08 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
How do you screw up a void?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:32 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Microsoft purposefully screws up Nokia before buying it up for cheaper and then completely destroying it. Well done morons
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:42 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Nothing moronic about the classic ‘Trojan Manoeuvre’. And all m’soft did was guide a ‘sinking boat into the harbour before it submerged’.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:17 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Well the morons are the Trojans letting in Microsoft’s Trojan horse, and everyone else thinking that is a good idea. But Microsoft isn’t going to do anything once they have taken over Troy, they are basically going to burn the city down and everyone is going to wonder why they wasted their time.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:37 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
So you think that wp7 will fail and m’soft will leave nokia mortally wounded? I don’t know about that. wp7 is smooth as butter and I can see a segment of the public buying the wp7 handsets ‘cause of nokia’s stellar reputation of handset quality and style alone. Hell, if Nokia made an android handset i’d buy it in a micron
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:51 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
yea that’s logic. People always hated nokia but bought it anyways as there was no alternatives out there. wp7 is not going to fix anything for nokia. It’ll be barely more popular than the zune and that’s it. If Nokia had used Android it would have changed their image around for the positive and they could have easily been the top selling Android maker, thus re-become the top selling smart phone maker in front of samsung and apple. But instead nokia is pairing up with microsoft, collapsing in value for microsoft to buy them and nothing will come out of that.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 6:02 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Right, injecting the ceo and making under the table agreements?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
they do not own nokia. end of story. stop creating these fantasy scenarios.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Go back to sucking off microsoft if you believe that
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 1:12 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Just because Microsoft doesn’t own Nokia, doesn’t mean their isn’t a conflict of interest. There is.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 9:57 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
they do not own nokia. end of story. stop creating these fantasy scenarios.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I’m a WP7 user and like it too, but don’t delude yourself into thinking an OS with >5% market share is “winning.”
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Your less-than symbol is pointing in the wrong direction.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:29 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I don’t know what you’re talking about ;)
thanks
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:38 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
The Schwartz, from Spaceballs? Classic movie reference :)
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 9:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
what does marketshare matter if it has the fastest growing app market, has easily the best ecosystem, best user interface, and doesnt lag like android?
oh right, it doesnt matter. but its the only talking point for android fanboys against wp7
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Look, Microsoft paid for all those apps. That’s an open secret. There won’t be any Gen 2 apps unless they actually start selling some phones now. And as you can see from HP, all it takes is one press release to cancel Windows Phone. So don’t buy into a product based only on future promise.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:45 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wow you sound mad, you just cant admit they have the fastest growing app store
android counts wallpapers, themes, widgets, and ringtones as apps. WP7 does not. delete the 90,000 wallpapers, and wp7 isnt far behind at all.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:59 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I’m not mad at all, it’s just the first time I’ve heard that Windows Phone has the fastest growing app store. You are talking about relative growth, not absolute growth, right? Is it adding more than 20.000 apps per month, like the Apple AppStore?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
However big the appstore is, around 100 of those matter to you. Even lower for some.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 10:44 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
But it would be hard to find 2 people who’d want the same 100 apps, hence you need the long tail to make customers truly happy, not just content. Desktop Windows (and DOS before it) has always, always been about app selection. That was the killer feature they had over the Mac. Now in mobile, Microsoft’s stick is rather short.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 11:52 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
However big the appstore is, around 100 of those matter to you. Even lower for some.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 10:44 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Or if they keep paying for them. Which they will.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:09 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I guess they’re far more likely to than HP. On the other hand, if their Windows business keeps contracting… Gartner said Windows sales are down 20 % this year in Western Europe. They might not have time forever.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:52 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
As I said, I’m a WP7 user, not an android fanboy. I, too, think WP7 is great, but the carriers in the US have decided to push Android as the iPhone alternative.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:46 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
“Fastest growing” is a ridiculous thing to throw around. It is meaningless, as it can be measured in a number of different ways and, quite frankly, it’s never surprising to see the smallest player be the fastest growing. Market share, though, is not, as ubiquitous sells phones. It attracts developers.
This, mind you, is coming from someone with a Trophy in his pocket (don’t worry, that doesn’t mean he isn’t happy to see you) who loves WP7.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:49 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
“as it can be measured in a number of different ways”
wrong.
thats the only way to measure growth of an app store.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:00 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
“as it can be measured in a number of different ways”
wrong.
thats the only way to measure growth of an app store.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:00 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
True.
Are we doing this in absolute number or percentage?
There are at least two ways to measure growth of an app store.
Here, I’ll give you an example with completely made up numbers: the Apple app store has 100k apps. The Microsoft app store has 10k apps. The Apple store goes up 10%. The Microsoft store goes up 100%. Did the Microsoft store grow faster or did it grow at the same speed?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:09 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
i said earlier wp7 has 30,000 apps within 7 months. so what do you THINK I’m referring to?
you clearly are missing a brain.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:30 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
i said earlier wp7 has 30,000 apps within 7 months. so what do you THINK I’m referring to?
you clearly are missing a brain.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:30 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
i said earlier wp7 has 30,000 apps within 7 months. so what do you THINK I’m referring to?
you clearly are missing a brain.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:30 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
you still don’t get it. people are talking about milestones. all the people that are saying it’s growing as fast as/faster than iphone are talking about milestones. how many days it took to get to 10k 15k, 25k, etc
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 11:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Let’s see… willful misrepresentation, personal opinion, personal opinion again and then outright falsehood.
Right, that’s that then.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:12 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Let’s see… willful misrepresentation, personal opinion, personal opinion again and then outright falsehood.
Right, that’s that then.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:12 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
delusions of gradeur. Don’t reply to the trolls, throwing fuel to the trolling fire.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:05 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
People have been rushing out to stores ever since the launch of WP7! HA!
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:07 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
… to buy Android phones
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:19 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
…and then return them the next day.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 1:32 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Too late. He’s been deluding himself ever since he began using charlie sheens ironic & moronic catchphrase.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:19 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
DirectX was also an underdog once and the laughing stock of the establishment. It also had a very steep developing curve ahead. But persistence pays. Who knows what the future will hold us.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 6:26 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
WebOS was a wonderful OS. Its only real problem is that it seems to have been cursed from day one to have the worst luck in the industry. Mismanagement, poor marketing, bad hardware, bad release time. Its legitimately a shame that its dead, I wish google had picked it up instead of HP.
Also, WP7 winning requires WP7 selling. Minor detail.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:59 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
This is further proof that business success is more than just a function of corporate-team effort. It’s much more complex than that.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:32 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
it was a horrid OS. no ecosystem. weird UI
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You never used it, did you? The UI was outstanding, the only reason it had no ecosystem was because of the previously mentioned mismanagement, poor marketing, bad hardware and bad release time. If android had the same issues, it never would have gotten to where it was.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:37 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
The UI of webOS was beautiful, but also a bit complicated and hard to learn with all the swipes. The original Pre booted up with a tutorial video! That’s why they killed a lot of those gestures in webOS 2.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:49 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
weird UI wtf are you talking about, not like it had homescreen made of squares and menu made of words that doesn’t fit the screen.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
HURRR DURRR I HATE STYLE AND DESIGN LANGUAGES. GIVE ME A BUNCH OF STATIC BORING ICONS, AND TRY TO FIT ALL THE TEXT ON THE SCREEN. DURRRRR
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:01 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Also, it was slow and years behind in a thousand little features.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:46 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Nobody wants WP7
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:05 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Except for people who have used it and know how much better it is than Android.
Seriously, Mango really is a lot better. Ice Cream Sandwich has a lot to live up to.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Android is so much better, especially on price and openness. Which is why 80% of the smart phone market is using it.
wp7 is a waste of time. nobody wants it.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:38 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Sorry, 48 % is not 80 %.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Android may have 56% of all active smart phones, in terms of sales per day, Android is upwards 80% worldwide now. Sales per day is what counts now, not the phones sold 18 months ago.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:54 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Sorry, your argument is not based on any reputable source so it won’t convince anyone. Android had 48 % of new sales last quarter, not more. In installed base they are much lower even, merely equaling iPhone and Symbian.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:43 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Your numbers do not include Samsung, Huawei, ZTE, all other Chinese brands. Near-100% of non-symbian sales in China, India, Russia, Brazil are Android phones, those are experiencing the fastest growth.
In 1 year, Apple went from 70% to 20% of smart phone web browsing activity. Most of that has been taken over by Android.
Any way you look at it, Android is by far the biggest ecosystem and by far the fastest growing one.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:48 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You’re delusional, sorry. All of the 4 big research companies said Android had a bit less than 50 % last quarter, or around 50 million units. That included Samsung, HTC, Moto, LG, SonyEricsson, Huawei, ZTE and all the others. Apple had 20 million, RIM and Symbian had about 15 million each, plus some HPs and Windows phones. All of these figures were confirmed by fiscal reports which means that the whole world, including Google, somehow overlooked the sale of 150 million invisible Android devices last quarter. Not true.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:00 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Samsung does not tell you their smart phone sales numbers, same thing for the Chinese brands. And you are talking June numbers, I am talking today, we’re approaching September, closer to a daily worldwide sales rate that is 2x higher than whatever numbers you are trying to talk about.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:04 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
They would have to be 4x higher to make your fantasy come true. Anyway, it’s obvious now that you have no credible source and are hoping for future news to salvage your claims.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:09 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You’re the one living in the doctored apple financials of the past. All Android needs is movement towards 15% market share increase from your numbers and a logical move such as RIM switching over to making Android devices too and Android dominates 80% of the sales daily.
There is no hope involved, everyone uses Android and everyone needs to use Android. Anyone arguing against it has a proprietary agenda.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You’re the one living in the doctored apple financials of the past. All Android needs is movement towards 15% market share increase from your numbers and a logical move such as RIM switching over to making Android devices too and Android dominates 80% of the sales daily.
There is no hope involved, everyone uses Android and everyone needs to use Android. Anyone arguing against it has a proprietary agenda.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wow dude, you are hopelessly confused. Do you think the sun is green too? Trust me, it’s not…
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 12:56 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
40% of android devices sold get returned, because they hate the buggy piece of laggy crap
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:02 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
No they don’t. 95% of wp7 devices don’t even get bought. There, we both invented numbers. Nobody returns Android devices, that bogus reporter who posted that has no idea about anything
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:04 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
40% of android devices sold get returned, because they hate the buggy piece of laggy crap
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:02 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
He`s just spewing mantras over and over. I guess they gave him some third-rate weed in Archos office in exchange for his fervent asslicking.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:48 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
More than 80% of the Russian smart phone market is using Android, nobody wants wp7
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:58 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Yeah, in dirt cheap shitphones, the only Android argument when it comes to marketshare.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Most high-end smart phones are Android too. The best phones in the world are Android. Android has all the features for high-end and low cost.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:41 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
But most high-end sales are iPhones. High-end Androids don’t sell that well. The GSII did 3M in its first quarter IIRC – not bad but not great. Atrix bombed, Galaxy S line sold a fraction of the iP4 last year (about 25%). Just saying.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:44 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Your numbers are fake and wrong. Android high-end sells more than 2x more than iPhone. Samsung Galaxy S2 sells as fast as they can make the special screens, more than 6 millions last quarter they’ll try to triple that. Samsung has plenty high-end LCD based phones too. Samsung is in fact just with their Android business the largest smart phone maker in the world now in front of Apple.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wrong Wrong Wrong. Less than 5M GS2s last quarter (shipped), Apple sold 20.4M iPhones (sold). Samsung sold between 17.5 and 19.3M smartphones last quarter but refuse to tell us any more what the number is. So not #1. Those number include about 4M Bada and lots of low end Android phones. Won’t deny that Android as a platform sells more, but mostly not high-end.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 12:49 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Why do you insist when you know you are wrong? The USA proves Android sells way past 2x more high-end than iPhone. In the USA, most smart phone sales are high-end because most smart phone sales are on 2 year contracts, something well above 80% of smart phones sold there are high-end. Android dominates US smart phone sales. End of story 1.
Samsung does not tell you their smart phone sales numbers, not because they don’t sell many, but most certainly because they sell more than everyone else and they don’t want others to get too eager to imitate their strategies of dominating. Your bogus Samsung sales numbers are NOT the official Samsung numbers, those numbers are made up by bogus analysts. Samsung has sold upwards 25 million smart phones last quarter. Just Samsung’s Android sales are larger than the iPhone. And Samsung has already announced more than 6 million Samsung Galaxy S2 sales and that was about a month ago they said that. Again, that is before them even being able to ramp up mass production, before them even reaching big markets such as the USA.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 12:57 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I have nothing against Android but you are coming off here as a raving lunatic. Am I the only one that sees no difference in your particular flavor of mania and the strain that KomeWP is displaying?
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 4:59 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Your numbers are fake and wrong. Android high-end sells more than 2x more than iPhone. Samsung Galaxy S2 sells as fast as they can make the special screens, more than 6 millions last quarter they’ll try to triple that. Samsung has plenty high-end LCD based phones too. Samsung is in fact just with their Android business the largest smart phone maker in the world now in front of Apple.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Man, this is hilarious. WP7 didn’t even start selling in Russia, how would you know it’s performance? :)
I live in Russia, trust me, I know. They are starting in the end of the year with Nokia. And trust me it will fly because Russia loves Nokia, no matter what software.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 7:57 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
This is Charbax on dipshit Archos weed, what did you expect?
And yes, Russia has some unholy Nokia obsession. “Nokio”, bwahahaha.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 2:56 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
thats why everytime i show my wp7 to someone, they love it and want it, right?
nobody wants android, the only reason it sells well is because of people wanting a cheap POS, and then they get a replacement android for their first defective unit. it inflates the sales.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:35 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Android phones are all 10000x better. Nobody wants wp7. Nobody buys it.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Nobody buys wp7, you just look at the sales numbers
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:53 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Nobody buys wp7, you just look at the sales numbers
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:53 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
This is trolling. “10000x better.” Like to see the numbers behind your analysis there, troll.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Android is infinitely better. Android is free. wp7 costs $$$. Android is thus much better than 10000x better than wp7.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:56 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Android isn’t free. Just ask HTC.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:03 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
HTC is a Microsoft partner. You joker you. HTC is paying Microsoft for crappy wp7 software and Microsoft calls it Android licencing, in exchange HTC can make an early Windows 8 device, it’s just pure totally bogus
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:05 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
So free is better?
It isn’t free to the consumer. In fact, it’s the exact same price to the consumer.
But hey, I have two choices for you: a BMW for $10, or a kick in the nuts for free.
Clearly, by your meaningless logic, a kick in the nuts is better than a $10 BMW because it’s free. 10000x better than a BMW.
You’re an awful poster with no logic and nothing to add to a discussion. Amazing that you run a blog yet think statements like “infinitely better” and “10000x better” are meaningful, or even consistent, actually. How can something be infinitely better but only 10000x better?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:13 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Free as in freedom and free beer. You don’t understand anything about this market.
I bought a $87 Android phone because Android is FREE
350 thousand Kenyans bought $80 Android phones because Android is FREE http://armdevices.net/2011/08/18/80-huawei-ideos-sells-350k-units-thus-far-in-kenya/
Nobody wants your proprietary closed source and expensive to implement Qualcomm-only proprietary wp7. Nobody wants wp7.
Microsoft could change their business model tomorrow and make wp8 free and open source, then I would say it may have a chance. Otherwise, nobody wants it. You cannot compete with free and open source. End of story.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:36 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
wp7 is not qualcomm only, but so what if it was?
everything is proprietary. even core pieces of android like the app market. go try to rent movies on android market with a rooted phone, tell me why the “proprietary” drm doesnt let you download it…..quit acting like everything about android is free.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:33 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Preach! That is why that desktop Linux has such a huge marketshare right now.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:01 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
So free is better?
It isn’t free to the consumer. In fact, it’s the exact same price to the consumer.
But hey, I have two choices for you: a BMW for $10, or a kick in the nuts for free.
Clearly, by your meaningless logic, a kick in the nuts is better than a $10 BMW because it’s free. 10000x better than a BMW.
You’re an awful poster with no logic and nothing to add to a discussion. Amazing that you run a blog yet think statements like “infinitely better” and “10000x better” are meaningful, or even consistent, actually. How can something be infinitely better but only 10000x better?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:13 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
It’s answering in kind though, or do you take Komewp’s arguments seriously?
He’s the sole WP7 troll in the world, now on something like his 20th account at that.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:15 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Most Windows Phones that were full price last Christmas are now selling for €/£300 on Amazon. I don’t know if that helps a lot. Android is pretty much known for a cheap iPhone-like experience right now. At the same price it will probably outsell WinPh 7 by 3:1.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:53 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I bought my Android phone for $87 in China http://armdevices.net/2011/04/11/best-of-shenzhen-87-android-3-5-capacitive-phone-mtk6516-fg8/
Microsoft doesn’t want to sell $87 phones
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:59 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Uh, yeah they do. They’re pretty clear that they do. Haven’t you followed these “tango” rumors?
How can you run a blog yet not have a clue what you’re talking about? Or how to make a decent argument? Or how not to troll?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:14 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
rumors are not fact. Nobody is buying wp7 and nobody will. I say things like they are on my blog. You can go elsewhere if you want to read that closed and proprietary software is good.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:39 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Uh, yeah they do. They’re pretty clear that they do. Haven’t you followed these “tango” rumors?
How can you run a blog yet not have a clue what you’re talking about? Or how to make a decent argument? Or how not to troll?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:14 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Most Windows Phones that were full price last Christmas are now selling for €/£300 on Amazon. I don’t know if that helps a lot. Android is pretty much known for a cheap iPhone-like experience right now. At the same price it will probably outsell WinPh 7 by 3:1.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:53 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Mmm…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Steady on. Piece of crap? WebOS is a brilliant OS. It wasn’t given what it needed to shine.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:30 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Brilliant UI ideas maybe. As an OS it was decidedly beta. Still a shame that HP couldn’t polish it some more.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:54 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I take it that the striking similarly between your so-called argumentation and a certain celebrity’s meme is intentional?
If not it’s even more amusing.
And a bit sad.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:10 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
the KIN is still a worse failure. HP will probably be able to quadruple their purchase price of palm based on patents alone.
STORYTIME: Of Palms and Giant Corporations.
Leo said, “Guys like us got no fambly. They make a little stake
an’ then they blow it in. They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ’em-”
“But not us,” Ruby cried happily. “Tell about us now.” Leo was quiet for a moment. “But not us,” he said. “Because—”
“Because I got you an’-”
“An’ I got you. We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us,” Ruby cried in triumph.
The little evening breeze blew over the clearing and the leaves rustled and the wind waves flowed up the green pool. And the shouts of men sounded again, this time much closer than before.
Leo took off his hat. He said shakily, “Take off your hat, Ruby. The air feels fine.”
Ruby removed his hat dutifully and laid it on the ground in
front of him. The shadow in the valley was bluer, and the evening came fast. On the wind the sound of crashing in the brush came to them.
Ruby said, “Tell how it’s gonna be.”
Leo had been listening to the distant sounds. For a moment he was businesslike. “Look acrost the river, Ruby, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it.”
Ruby turned his head and looked off across the pool and up the darkening slopes of the Gabilans. “We gonna get a little place,” Leo began. He reached in his side pocket and brought out Dewitt’s Luger; he snapped off the safety, and the hand and gun lay on the ground behind Ruby’s back. He looked at the back of Ruby’s head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined.
A man’s voice called from up the river, and another man answered. “Go on,” said Ruby.
Leo raised the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again.
“Go on,” said Ruby. “How’s it gonna be. We gonna get a little place.”
“We’ll have a cow,” said Leo. “An’ we’ll have maybe a pig an’
chickens… an’ down the flat we’ll have a… little piece alfalfa-”“For the rabbits,” Ruby shouted.
“For the rabbits,” Leo repeated.
“And I get to tend the rabbits.”
“An’ you get to tend the rabbits.” Ruby giggled with happiness. "An’ “Yes.”
Ruby turned his head.
“No, Ruby. Look down there acrost see the place.”
live on the fatta the lan’."
the river, like you can almost
Ruby obeyed him. Leo looked down at the gun.
There were crashing footsteps in the brush now. Leo turned and looked toward them.
“Go on, Leo. When we gonna do it?”
“Gonna do it soon.”
“Me an’ you.”
“You… an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no
more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ’em.”
Ruby said, “I thought you was mad at me, Leo.”
“No,” said Leo. “No, Ruby. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I
ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.”
The voices of the shareholders came close now. Leo raised the gun and listened to the voices.
Ruby begged, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.”
“Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.”
And Leo raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Ruby’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Ruby jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.
Leo shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it from him, back up on the bank, near the pile of old ashes.
The brush seemed filled with cries and with the sound of running feet. Slim’s voice shouted. “Leo. Where you at, Leo?”
But Leo sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his right hand that had thrown the gun away. The group burst into the clearing, and Curley was ahead. He saw Ruby lying on the sand. “Got him, by God.” He went over and looked down at Ruby, and then he looked back at Leo. “Right in the back of the head,” he said softly.
Slim came directly to Leo and sat down beside him, sat very close to him. “Never you mind,” said Slim. “A guy got to sometimes.”
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wow. This makes the Kin 1&2 look like a smashing success.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:31 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wow. This makes the Kin 1&2 look like a smashing success.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:31 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
…ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
Apple and Google’s competitors are literally consuming each other. I wonder if RIM will do the same with QNX? And then there’s Microsoft with it’s Nokia hardware acquisition. The next few months will be interesting…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I don’t know whether Microsoft should br happy or worried.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:45 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Worried I expect.
@google-a7a38b40d30e65b441581c04f0adb26e:disqus Komewp “THIS IS AWESOME. WP7 NOW STRENGTHENS AGAIN LOL. another one bites the dust.”
How does this strengthen WP7? If Microsoft aren’t managing to sell many phones now, what makes you think people will find them appealing now that WebOS is out of the picture?
If people don’t react positively to the product in the first place, they won’t invest their money into it, regardless of the number of competitors.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Worried I expect.
@google-a7a38b40d30e65b441581c04f0adb26e:disqus Komewp “THIS IS AWESOME. WP7 NOW STRENGTHENS AGAIN LOL. another one bites the dust.”
How does this strengthen WP7? If Microsoft aren’t managing to sell many phones now, what makes you think people will find them appealing now that WebOS is out of the picture?
If people don’t react positively to the product in the first place, they won’t invest their money into it, regardless of the number of competitors.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Microsoft will just continue to pump money into until it does well. That’s what they did with Xbox and now look where it is. They don’t give up on this stuff. Well except the Kin, but that was just distracting their main focus anyways.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:12 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Buying your way to success rarely works. HP just proved that.
Microsoft doesn’t have the luxury of time in a mobile ecosystem people invest into. People are spending lots of money on applications that work with specific ecosystems. Even if WP7 became a more attractive platform, will people want to move away from Android or iOS after investing so much in the Android Market and the App Store respectively?
Not saying anything bad about MS, just food for thought that’s all.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Success in the smartphone industry at this point is not about converting people from one smartphone platform to another. It is about being the first smartphone that a person ever buys.
Microsoft built Windows Phone and almost all of the services that Windows Phone relies upon (Bing, Xbox Live, Zune Pass, Office 365, Skydrive, Live Messenger). They have a partial ownership of Facebook and a complete ownership of Skype. They have an exclusive partnership with Nokia that cost them next to nothing. I think their situation is extremely different than HP/Palms.
HP bought Palm for a measly $1.2B; obviously mainly for their patents and didn’t have ownership of any Internet services to bolster the value of the webOS platform. They were obviously not committed to this long term and didn’t want to bleed the company dry competing with Apple/Google/Microsoft.
Microsoft has the strongest patent portfolio of any company in the tech industry. Not only is Microsoft and it’s WP7 licensees protected from lawsuits, but MS could potentially end up siphoning off billions of dollars from Android sales annually. The more successful Android is the more money MS has in it’s warchest to replace Android with Windows Phone.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:53 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
That’s not what I said. I agree, success in the smartphone industry AT THIS POINT is not about converting people from one platform to another.
I said: “even if Microsoft became a more attractive platform.” This refers to WP7 at a later date in the future, a future where they might invest huge quantities of time and money into the WP7 platform. This was in context with – and in relation to – what Tech Dino said.
I very much doubt HP bought Palm for the patents. webOS was the third most innovative mobile OS at the time. HP wanted to differentiate there product without relying on Android.
As far as patents are concerned, for all we know some of the patents that are currently changing hands in the latest acquisitions could have negatively affected HP’s webOS business strategy. This may have been a deciding factor in HP’s decision to ditch webOS. Who knows?
You wrote: “The more successful Android is the more money MS has in it’s war chest to replace Android with Windows Phone.”
The more successful Android gets, the more developers invest their time and money into developing apps for Android…. and not WP7. Without apps you have no ecosystem, without an ecosystem you have no phones sales. Without phone sales you make no money.
Regardless of the size of your war chest, you can’t buy developers, Microsoft have already tried.
Do you believe a closed software platform with little marketshare will overtake an established open platform with the largest global marketshare? One which has the backing of all the major manufacturers? Manufacturers that reap enormous profits building millions of Android smartphones and tablets due to the overwhelming popularity of Android?
This is a lot to ask of a company that used to rule the smartphone roost alongside RIM.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
While I see your line of reasoning, mobile applications alone, or even tied up with “cloud” services (God I hate that buzzword) are not solely what constitutes an “ecosystem” (another crap marketing word, but whatevs).
MS has the advantage of being able to access and ultimately leverage a larger ecosystem than even Apple and Google— the huge installed base of PCs in homes and offices as well as the millions of Xboxes hooked up to living room TV’s (a spot that Google deeply coveteth, but has had more trouble getting a foothold in than Apple has, but neither can match the install base of the Xbox).
iOS products and Android products work fine on Windows. But iPhones really shine (and add a lot of extra value for their users) when they are deployed with Macs, Apple TV’s and stuff. Android products integrate perfectly with Google’s great suite of free tools available on the web, and that provides a great experience for those who like to use G’s services (which is a heck of a lot of people, for sure) but don’t really have any “special” benefits otherwise.
So in my eyes, there is a void to be filled, a need for a mobile solution that gives a little extra “reward” to folks who also happen to use PC’s and maybe also have an Xbox (lots of people in both cases). If you can give those people a device approximately as good as an iPhone or a high-end Android handset that also happens to integrate perfectly with stuff they have already invested in, I think people will respond to that.
MS is still stinging from the antitrust injunction and the overwatch of the DoJ. But with that behind them (and in the face of a changing market that sees them in no danger of being considered a ‘monopolist’ anytime soon), they are free to push that integration angle as far as they are willing and able to. How far they go and how effective it will be certainly remains to be seen, but I think there is a lot more room for MS to gain ground than there is for Android or iOS to open further gains.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:17 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
The Xbox division has still (overall) lost Microsoft an absolutely enormous amount of money. It remains to be seen whether or not that investment will ever pay off.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
It already did, since main focus was on destroying Sony and the like. Then again, they had to discard PC gaming too.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
It already did, since main focus was on destroying Sony and the like. Then again, they had to discard PC gaming too.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
As tkins said, the XBox is still a massive net loss. It lost about $4 bn in the first 4 years, then another $3 bn in the next 2 years (remember red ring of death?), then made about $3 bn in the following 4 years. Overall still $4 bn in the pit.
And most importantly, it hasn’t captured a wider audience outside gamer circles and therefore isn’t helping Microsoft’s horizontal strategy. It’s a niche product with about 10 million units sold per year.
What it succeeded in was disrupting Playstation before it could have potentially rivaled Windows PCs.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:01 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You really have MS figured out, especially the xbox. It is a niche product like all consoles, so? I like how you describe xbox as something disruptive that should not have interfered with your fantasies. MS still hasn’t closed shop on the xbox(despite your best wishes) and never disclosed such categorical numbers like you spew.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 6:33 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
MS has disclosed XBox losses and gains since 2003. 2001/2002 figures were reported by Forbes in 2005 (the print magazine, not the blog). I wish MS and the XBox well, it’s just not a good example to bring up when urging HP to stick with webOS. HP doesn’t have nearly as much to burn as MS, and when HP say it’s not clear if webOS will ever make net profits—well the same still is true for the XBox. It’s still 3 good years away from breaking even.
Posted on Aug 20, 2011 | 1:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Given the latest turn of events in the patent case against Motorola, Microsoft should be happy. Google is the one worried and trying to interfere in the outcome of that lawsuit:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/judge-denies-googles-witness-complaint-in-microsoft-motorola-dispute/55299
For MS…
Worst case scenario: HP who has no mobile phone clout produces Android phones exclusively.
Neutral case: they take the same approach as Dell and do both Android & WP7.
Best case: HP produces WP7 exclusively.
Don’t see it having much affect on the industry in any of those scenarios. The Nokia exclusivity deal overshadows all of this small stuff.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
HP has exited the phone business. They will never make one again – they know what happens when you become an OEM for a commoditized OS – that is why they are trying to get rid of their PC business.
IBM shows them the way. 15% net margins vs. 6% for HP.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:57 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
It depends on if they want to recover their losses and sell the Palm patents. If so, this would leave them defenseless to produce much in the way of smartphones and tablets.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:01 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Of course they’re consuming each other (although they aren’t exactly – had RIM or Microsoft bought WebOS then they would be consuming each other.)
It makes sense – the market can only support a limited number of platforms. It seems pretty clear that, just like in Zelda, 3 is the magic number. Apple and Google hold the lion’s share, but there’s room left over for small players. Since this is such a costly field, though, no one can afford to be just a small player, so those small players will battle for share and the loser will disappear.
RIM has that share right now, but is steadily losing it. Microsoft doesn’t have the share, but has a very nice OS and a lot of money. Unfortunately for Microsoft, that RIM share is going to Google and, to a lesser degree, Apple. Right now the market is moving towards 2 player more than 3.
Let’s be honest, it’s no surprise. For 2 decades the computer market really showed that it would only support 1 player. It’s easier for manufacturers, consumers and developers. Microsoft dominated, Apple lingered with about 4% share (and nearly went out of business), and Linux/Be/OS2 kind of hung in the background with community support. That’s changed, but 2 seems to be a good number there.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:54 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
The PC market is a poor example since it’s still at that point. Apple is at ~4.5% worldwide market share and various UNIX/Linux distros at 1-2%.
Hopefully the smartphone marketplace can be a different playground altogether, it has the potential as it’s about services more than platforms or software.
Much as I personally like Android it’s worrying that it’s already got 40-50% of the market, it’s not good for consumers if one player dominates completely.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:21 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Apple is between 7.5% and 10%, depending on who you ask.
That’s double what it was five years ago.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 9:13 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
In the US, yes.
Worldwide it’s ~4.5%.
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 | 5:02 AM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Let’s hope Google snags up QNX if they do then, it’d be an infinitely better groundwork for Android than Linux.
Heck, it’s one of the only two OSs I’ve ever considered better than ‘adequate’.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:16 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Let’s hope Google snags up QNX if they do then, it’d be an infinitely better groundwork for Android than Linux.
Heck, it’s one of the only two OSs I’ve ever considered better than ‘adequate’.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:16 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
…ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
Apple and Google’s competitors are literally consuming each other. I wonder if RIM will do the same with QNX? And then there’s Microsoft with it’s Nokia hardware acquisition. The next few months will be interesting…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooWTFoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I hate it when I’m right.. sometimes.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:57 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
…ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:29 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
It seems webOS was killed off in ludicrous speed… sigh
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:25 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
they wanted webOS for patents, printer OS and stuff, they only killed the phone and touchpad you loser.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:36 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
They spent a billion dollars on a printer os? LMFAO
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:56 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Not enough "Like"s in the world for that response!
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:02 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
google spent 12 billion on a company that doesnt even make a profit, has thousands of WEAK feature phone patents, and makes easily the worst hardware on the market. enjoy the pentile.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:37 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
We will see if they pull the products in under 49 days.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:25 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Read closely, it doesn’t say they will cancel webOS.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:37 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Elements will still be on printers, just not Phones or Tablets.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:42 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Who says there won’t be webOS Phones? They just won’t be made by HP …
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:52 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Who’s going to go it alone on the platform? HTC? Maybe.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:09 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Maybe Samsung. I doubt it though.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:20 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Samsung has Bada, Android, and Windows Phone. What do they need webOS for?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:01 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Yea, no point in wasting the R&D on trying to single-handedly revive a platform, when they already are successful making devices for others.
Still BEYOND pissed that webOS is DEAD tho?!
Palm is Dead.
webOS is Dead.
Motorola (Mobility arm, at least) is Dead.
Nokia’s next…. :)
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:15 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Maybe Samsung. I doubt it though.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:20 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Who says there won’t be webOS Phones? They just won’t be made by HP …
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:52 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Elements will still be on printers, just not Phones or Tablets.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:42 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Hopefully they’ll license WebOS and it will succeed. The Pre hardware was always crap, but the OS is awesome. That’s pretty much the consensus.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Hopefully they’ll license WebOS and it will succeed. The Pre hardware was always crap, but the OS is awesome. That’s pretty much the consensus.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:51 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
The pre isn’t why HP killed webos
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:59 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Yes, it was lack of sales (caused by bad reviews of hardware and lack of decent marketing).
I tried! Lord knows, I tried.
Sent from my Palm Pre on AT&T
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:44 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
But who’s going to develop a phone using webOS when HP itself couldn’t succeed?
I really don’t see HTC or Samsung getting into it, especially since android has been so successful for them and they’ve just begun making phones for wp7.
It’s sad, but I think the only place we’ll see webOS in the future is on printers.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:04 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Not even on printers. That never made sense in the first place. Who needs a card metaphor and elegant notifications of a printer? Synergy? Just Type? Unless there is some surprise licensee for WebOS the most likely thing to happen next will be HP trying to shop around/sue for Palm’s patents.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:09 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Yep. Palm is truly dead now.
Hellooooooo, iPhone 5!
Sent from my Palm Pre on AT&T
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:46 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I think the point was the IP and patents that Palm owned. Sad news indeed.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:43 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
My guess, is that now they will sell the patents – probably to Apple or MS. HP are totally exiting the consumer device business. They will only keep printers as long as they can r@pe people for the ink. After that, they are gone too.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:00 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wouldn’t it be exciting if Google snapped up those patents too?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:07 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
No – that would be boring. It might bring an end to the wars. Remember, wars are good for the economy – or some such nonsense.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:48 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Wouldn’t it be exciting if Google snapped up those patents too?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:07 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I admit I were always confused, and still am at that, by the knowledge that sometimes, somewhere… people still buy ink printers.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
My guess, is that now they will sell the patents – probably to Apple or MS. HP are totally exiting the consumer device business. They will only keep printers as long as they can r@pe people for the ink. After that, they are gone too.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:00 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
yeah, I certainly am surprised by this piece of news…. and then there were 3
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:56 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I am going to freaking kills HP. If that is true, I’m returning my TouchPad.
- From my HP TouchPad X(
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:19 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I’ll buy it, I will give you like $50.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:26 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Ill top that to a $100.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:24 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Way too much, you can have it =)
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:30 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Just shitted my pants
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:19 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Shat
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Thank you, I appreciate reading the correct tense.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Thank you, I appreciate reading the correct tense.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Shat
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Shat
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:28 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Technically only HP webOS hardware is dead, there’s the possibility of licensing still . . . .
But unless they can announce concrete licencees then it is absolutely dead.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:19 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Who is going to license, seeing how fast hp pulled the plug no company is going to want to take that risk. It pains me to say that, but its the truth
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:47 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
A successful licensing business would still require HP to spend billions in further development, going head-to-head with MS and Google. I don’t see them doing that.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:13 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
A successful licensing business would still require HP to spend billions in further development, going head-to-head with MS and Google. I don’t see them doing that.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:13 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
just forget it, noone wants to license that garbage with no ecosystem.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 6:34 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
wtf… that is all
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:20 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Google buys MotoMobililty, HP spinning off and killing WebOS, dogs and cats living together! It’s the end of days.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:37 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Little Ham ‘n Eggs comin’ at ya, hold on people hope ya got your griddles…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:46 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
WHAT!?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:20 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
THE!?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:57 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
FRAK?!
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:08 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Typical HP, buy a company and then run them into the ground remember Voodoo?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:20 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
they made the hp envy from voodoo you loser. hp envy is the best computer money can buy today.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:40 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
You’ve just proved my point they made one arguably decent product out of a company they bought and consequently ruined that doesn’t make good business sense. So before you start throwing around the personal insults it might help to engage brain before typing.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I think he’s referring to the fact that Voodoo as a brand itself is gone.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
I think he’s referring to the fact that Voodoo as a brand itself is gone.
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:50 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Mmm…
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 4:23 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
HTC should’ve bought Palm
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 3:21 PM EDT reply Recommend Flag actions
Can’t see this. HTC want some control and some security, but WebOS would be too high a cost, and they’d be responsible for an entire ecosystem on their own. I don’t think they think they can compete with what Google and Apple already have.
For what it’s worth, I’d accept arguments that they’d be in a better position to than Microsoft. At the same time, Nokia quickly realized it couldn’t do this, so what are the odds HTC would be able to?
Posted on Aug 18, 2011 | 5:06 PM EDT reply