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How Dead is WebOS?

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Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#51

Post by dvdhsu »

fuzionmonkey wrote: post #3

Some things about WebOS are absolutely fantastic. My first smartphone was a Pre Plus when it came out on Verizon for like $40. The software was pretty great. The multitasking was perfect, Synergy was awesome. It wasn't quite as polished in some areas as iOS, but some things were also drastically superior. Also the inductive charging was awesome as well. I got an iPhone on Verizon when it came out, and I really miss t…

I own an original Pré from Sprint. The first six months, I ran it overclocked to 1 GHz when the screen was on and it worked reasonably. After the first six months, the hardware started falling apart: power button stopped working, volume buttons were always depressed, phone calls were never routed to the earpiece, etc.

If HP could put WebOS on quality hardware, it would be a killer device. Here's hoping the Pré3 can do it.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#52

Post by jdub »

jonah wrote: post #46
jdub wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... but not when you have deliciously usable and tactile "cards". :-)

Right. And by promoting each "tab" to its own "card" at the same level as each other "app" you benefit from that.

Plus in webOS 2.x, stacks reduce the cognitive load of having too many (seemingly) unrelated cards.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#53

Post by whatusername »

mikecane wrote: post #37
whatusername wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But doesn't the same "Math" apply to Nokia/Microsoft?

It could, but what do they have to sell? Nothing yet, right? So far from the press I've read, MS can't get updates out smoothly yet. I think Palm, and now HP, take a different approach than MS. After all, HP builds its own hardware and MS does licenses.

I think I'm showing my Australian bias here.. The Palm website: http://www.palm.com/au/ shows thatPalm are "introducing" WebOS on the "new" Palm Pre. I can't see HP turning that around any time soon.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#54

Post by metageek »

The Veer is overpriced. My Inspire 4G cost the same two months ago, and it's much better hardware, plus something like 10 times the apps. HP should have priced it to where AT&T would sell it for $0 on contract. At $99, there's no way they'll come from behind.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#55

Post by mikecane »

whatusername wrote: post #53
mikecane wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could, but what do they have to sell? Nothing yet, right? So far from the press I've read, MS can't get updates out smoothly yet. I think Palm, and now HP, take a different approach than MS. After all, HP builds its own hardware and MS does licenses.

I think I'm showing my Australian bias here.. The Palm website: http://www.palm.com/au/ shows thatPalm are "introducing" WebOS on the "new" Palm Pre. I can't see HP turning that around any time soon.

And I'm, of course, showing my American-centric view. Ha! It's frustrating how one company can be so different around the world. Few companies seem to be on the same page everywhere.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#56

Post by mikecane »

rbanffy wrote: post #42

The biggest threat, by far, to WebOS is some Microsoft exec letting an HP exec know, casually, while they are, say, playing golf, that HP's Windows license could end up costing a bit more than Dell's because they are not really helping Windows Phone 7 become the success it deserves and helping WP7 would entitle a couple large discounts on other licenses. Microsoft has enormous power on OEMs.

I really think those days are over for MS. They can't bully anyone around anymore.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#57

Post by rbanffy »

mikecane wrote: post #56
rbanffy wrote: post #42

The biggest threat, by far, to WebOS is some Microsoft exec letting an HP exec know, casually, while they are, say, playing golf, that HP's Windows license could end up costing a bit more than Dell's because they are not really helping Windows Phone 7 become the success it deserves and helping WP7 would entitle a couple large discounts on other licenses. Microsoft has enormous power on OEMs.

I really think those days are over for MS. They can't bully anyone around anymore.

OEM margins are still pretty low while volumes are very high and increasing. A small difference in Windows licensing can make a huge, bonus-defining, difference.

It's very dangerous to ignore their usual ways.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#58

Post by spicerunner »

rbanffy wrote: post #42

The biggest threat, by far, to WebOS is some Microsoft exec letting an HP exec know, casually, while they are, say, playing golf, that HP's Windows license could end up costing a bit more than Dell's because they are not really helping Windows Phone 7 become the success it deserves and helping WP7 would entitle a couple large discounts on other licenses. Microsoft has enormous power on OEMs.

All of the antitrust stuff of the last decade has really tamed Microsoft. I'm not sure they'd do that. I really wanted to like Windows Phone 7, but have lost faith and think WebOS may have an opportunity to overtake them if HP plays their cards right.

Microsoft's biggest hope for penetration is the Nokia partnership. Two frightened dinosaurs huddling in a cave as the comet approaches...

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#59

Post by rbanffy »

spicerunner wrote: post #58
rbanffy wrote: post #42

The biggest threat, by far, to WebOS is some Microsoft exec letting an HP exec know, casually, while they are, say, playing golf, that HP's Windows license could end up costing a bit more than Dell's because they are not really helping Windows Phone 7 become the success it deserves and helping WP7 would entitle a couple large discounts on other licenses. Microsoft has enormous power on OEMs.

All of the antitrust stuff of the last decade has really tamed Microsoft. I'm not sure they'd do that. I really wanted to like Windows Phone 7, but have lost faith and think WebOS may have an opportunity to overtake them if HP plays their cards right. Microsoft's biggest hope for penetration is the Nokia partnership. Two frightened dinosaurs huddling in a cave as the comet approaches...

> All of the antitrust stuff of the last decade has really tamed Microsoft.

That's why discussions like this would no longer happen over e-mail. On a open field, during a social encounter with no witnesses and no lasting evidence it ever happened, I am not so sure.

Microsoft has always used discounts to modulate OEM licensing costs.

Re: How Dead is WebOS?

#60

Post by podperson »

Duff wrote: post #35
podperson wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's my math. It seems to me there are two possibilities: WebOS fails on the laptop and desktop (e.g. is perceived as crap/bloat-ware or simply ignored). In this case the math doesn't look good. WebOS succeeds on the laptop and desktop. This means that a whole bunch of users are willing to give up on Windows for their computing needs. Long overdue, since most people's computing needs are met by a web browser and a…

The PC business model is a zombie right now. I work at a joint that rolled out about 12,000 PCs a year, every year. Since 2008? 2,000/year... mostly laptops to folks whose jobs have become more mobile. ALL of the good customer facing people with companies that peddle PCs in my neck of the woods have either moved on to greener pastures or are holding out for retirement. My guess is that in 2014, those 6+ year old PCs…

Exactly. If WebOS "succeeds" on the desktop it will only be because the PC business is done. And in that case, being the world's number one PC vendor isn't very helpful.
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