Consumer electronics manufacturer HP has announced that they will be discontinuing production of all WebOS devices, which includes cell phones and the Touchpad tablets.
It might have seemed like a sound business decision at the time, but discontinuing their WebOS line comes just over a year after HP paid $1.2 billion for WebOS maker Palm, while HP also launched the TouchPad tab only two months ago.
“WebOS was never a major player in a smartphone marketplace dominated by the iOS, Android and Blackberry platforms, representing less than two percent of all handsets at its peak,” website Ars Technica writes.
But the decision won’t only affect consumers, but also game developers, as Electronic Arts, Rovio, Glu Mobile, and Gameloft have all been porting titles to WebOS.
In a statement, HP said it “will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.”
On the decision, HP CEO Leo Apotheker said “continuing to execute in this market is no longer in the interest of HP and its shareholders. I know our investors don’t like being in this position, and neither do I. I’m taking ownership for these decisions and investments.”
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
