In a move to save WebOS, HP has split it off from the hardware division it wants to sell.
Two memos sent to employees of HP’s webOS Global Business Unit fell into the hands of precentral.net. They supposedly tell the story of how HP is splitting the former Palm, Inc. into two separate units that will report to separate divisions of HP. The hardware division will stay under the Personal Systems Group. The software side is to be split off and moved over to HP’s Office of Strategy and Technology: The incubator.
This division of Palm’s software descendent WebOS has come about two weeks after the company announced its plans to exit the PC hardware business, as well as stop operations related to its webOS devices. Publicly at least, HP was uncertain what will happen with the operating system.
“HP has suggested that a spin-off may be in the future of the Personal Systems Group, but bundling webOS away to OS&T indicates the company may want to hold onto the operating system, perhaps licensing it to other mobile manufacturers. In a press release, Shane Robison, chief strategy and technology officer, notes that the move "supports the teams’ continued efforts with over-the-air updates and the application catalog." WebOS device owners, including those who picked up TouchPads in the recent fire sale, may not be left out in the cold after all.” – Arstechnica
Interesting developments, especially since HP is planning another sale of the touchpad in October.
“Moving webOS software under the Office of Strategy and Technology will serve two purposes: the first being getting webOS out of the soon-to-be-spun-off PSG and keeping it as a property of the new software and services HP, and the second being giving webOS a closer relationship to HP’s multi-billion research and development fund and personnel. The OS&T is considered by HP to be an “incubator” for their tech businesses, where they’re currently applying TLC to HP’s Cloud Services, Vertica, and Business Solutions units.” – Precentral.net
I hope good things are in store for WebOS, since another OS is a thing to encourage, and Palm’s original OS was a great loss.
Sources:
http://www.precentral.net/hp-splitting-webos-gbu-two-software-headed-office-strategy-and-technology-exclusive
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/09/hp-whisks-webos-away-to-safety-from-pc-hardware-it-wants-to-spin-off.ars