HP wants to sell its PC business, kill webOS: So what happens now?

HP wants to sell its PC business, kill webOS: So what happens now?

Another sad story from HP...
Did any of HP executives hear about "Innovators Dilemma?"

Quitting TouchPad is not really a surprise since HP could not sell it.
And they could not sell it, since they expected too much (money).
It was just too expensive compared to iPad. So, nobody was buying.
Best Buy took delivery of 270,000 TouchPads and has only managed to sell less than 10 percent of its inventory. One source suggested that the 25,000-unit sales number may even be "charitable" because it doesn't take returns into account.

Simply put, HP is too big, and has too high expectations.
There is almost nothing that is a reasonable growth business in that case.
Even what would be a great business for "normal size" company, is too small profit for HP.

WebOS is a nice technology, if HP had reasonable expectations,
and if they have left technologists, not marketing people, lead that business.


Invent what?

HP snaps up business software maker Autonomy for $10 billion

They should first read this book, I think.


HP failed webOS; what’s next for the platform?

Is HP’s WebOS Surrender A Win For Microsoft?
But there’s another part to this story ... “No apps, no sales.”
If you want to be a leading platform today you MUST get third-party developers on your side.

The Mistake That Killed The TouchPad
It wasn’t until after HP launched its new tablet platform that the company made its software development kit (SDK) generally available to outside and third-party app developers. That ensured that, on launch day, the cupboard would be bare when it came to apps.

Is Google Turning Into a Mobile Phone Company? No, It Says - NYTimes.com

Is Google Turning Into a Mobile Phone Company? No, It Says - NYTimes.com

...it is undeniable that Google’s new chief executive, Larry Page, has long had a hankering for the mobile phone business, and this acquisition may be the culmination of his ambitions. Mr. Page, after all, was the executive who personally pursued the acquisition of Android and has been its biggest proponent. And he pressed Google to compete in federal auctions for wireless spectrum in recent years at a time when others were more hesitant — and in some cases was willing to overpay for spectrum.

“He was the guy behind Android,” Mr. Levy said in an interview. “Larry is a big ambitious guy; he will roll big dice.”

If there’s any question about Google’s motivation to own a handset maker rather than just a portfolio of patents, consider this: InterDigital, a licensing company that owns some 8,000 wireless patents and has another 10,000 patent applications being processed, has been up for auction. Many industry insiders were sure that if Google were serious about acquiring a portfolio of patents, InterDigital would be its target. The company’s market value is only about $3 billion and it doesn’t come with all the baggage of Motorola’s handset business.