Get ready for the new webOS. Hewlett-Packard has indicated that its Feb. 9 launch event will include one or more tablets, and possibly netbooks and new smartphones, based on the operating system it acquired when it bought Palm.
On Jan. 7, HP Executive Vice President Todd Bradley told CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo that the Feb. 9 event will show “the future of webOS” and the “breadth of products” that the platform will enable.
‘Connected Experience’
Nearly 100 new tablets from a variety of manufacturers were shown at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but HP chose to delay launching its new tablet line. Bradley indicated this was part of the company’s strategy, so there could be a focus on what he described as the “connected experience that we’ll create.”
His reference to connectedness, and the press invitations that ask the bearer to think big, small and beyond, appear to strengthen predictions that HP will show webOS over a variety of form factors — tablets, netbooks, smartphones, possibly even printers, smart TVs, and other devices.
In order to stand out from the current two biggest tablet platforms — Apple’s iOS and Google’s open-source Android — HP needs a clear differentiation. Bradley said webOS is the “first truly web-based operating system” and “the only true multitasking operating system, where you can have 20 different applications open simultaneously.”
HP has acknowledged that webOS was the biggest strategic reason behind its acquisition of the struggling Palm last summer.
‘Incredibly Elegant’
A key question is how many operating-system platforms can have a large installed base in the tablet category.
In addition to Apple and Android, there’s RIM’s new PlayBook, which the company is hoping will help it re-emerge as a market leader in innovation. RIM begins with a well-established advantage in the enterprise market because of its BlackBerry smartphones, and the PlayBook is…