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Motorola kills off Webtop software and Lapdock accessory

Motorola kills off Webtop software and Lapdock accessory

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Atrix Lapdock
Atrix Lapdock

Motorola on Friday confirmed that it has abandoned development of Webtop — software that enabled smartphones to power laptops via the Lapdock accessory. The company explained the decision in a statement provided to CNET, bluntly attributing the move to a lack of consumer adoption.

Motorola first unveiled the concept at CES 2011, alongside the Atrix 4G for AT&T. The idea was rather straightforward — plug your handset into the Lapdock and use Webtop to enjoy the "full PC experience" on your laptop. At the time, Motorola touted Webtop as the bridge between mobile and PC environments, though the Lapdock's steep price tag and limited functionality have since resulted in underwhelming sales.

"Adoption has not been strong enough."

Friday's confirmation doesn't come as much of a surprise, as recent months have seen Motorola quietly move away from its Webtop initiative. Indications first surfaced back in July, when the company omitted mention of Lapdock functionality in its Atrix HD press release. Motorola explained the omission two days later, saying it had decided to target a more price-conscious consumer.

The company elaborated upon this strategy Friday, citing sluggish adoption rates and noting that more recent Android builds have already begun adopting similarly "desktoplike features." According to Motorola, the full phase out will begin with the Photon Q and the latest Droid Razr line. The company's full statement is below:

Motorola's Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward.