BrainstormTech
Latest
HP not making Windows Phone 7 devices, focusing on webOS instead
No big surprise here, but HP Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley just flat-out confirmed to CNBC that HP will not be making any Windows Phone 7 devices, preferring instead to focus on the newly-acquired webOS for its line of smartphones. Here's the entire exchange: Q: Can you make webOS successful with developers when you're selling Windows Phone 7, maybe Android or Linux at the same time? A: We continue to be Microsoft's biggest customer, and we continue to believe we will drive innovation with Microsoft. At the same time, I think it's clear to say, that we're very focused on the customer, and giving the customer the experience that's important to them. We won't do -- will not do a Linux / Android phone. We won't do a Microsoft phone. Q: So no Windows Phone 7? A: We will continue to more broadly deliver the webOS-based phones that are in the market today, and Jon and his team have driven a strong roadmap for the future. Q: So does that mean you're going webOS only for phones? A: For smartphones it does. Our intent is to focus those resources and really make webOS the best OS it can be. That's a big ouch for Microsoft -- it has to sting when your biggest customer turns its back on your fledgling mobile efforts -- but we can't exactly see HP spending a billion dollars on Palm only to turn around and support multiple platforms. There is a small silver lining for Microsoft, though -- Bradley also reiterated that HP's tablet plans aren't so locked in, and once again hinted that the Windows 7-based HP Slate has become an enterprise product, which is at least better than being killed off entirely. Lose some, lose some slightly less, we suppose. Full video after the break -- the good bit starts around 5:20.
HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall
We've sensed that something's been up with the HP Slate for a while now, and it looks like we've finally gotten the first solid confirmation that the Windows 7 tablet as unveiled by Steve Ballmer at CES in January won't hit the consumer market as planned -- speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, HP Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley just said that the Slate will be "more customer-specific than broadly deployed," and that it would launch the Microsoft-based tablet "for the enterprise" in the fall. That fits right in with HP telling us the other day that it was in "customer evaluations" as it prepared for the "next steps," and based on followup comments from Bradley and Palm head Jon Rubinstein, it certainly sounded like the company will focus Windows tablets at the enterprise and develop a variety of webOS devices for the consumer market. Of course, there's no official announcement yet, so we'll see what happens -- the only thing that we can confidently say is that the HP Slate has definitely succeeded the iPad as the tech industry's favorite vaporware tablet.
