According to recent media reports, it appears Hewlett-Packard is withdrawing support of Google and Microsoft platforms for tablets and phones, respectively--likely in a bid to focus on its recently acquired webOS platform.
First, according to AllThingsD, HP has shelved plans to build an Android tablet. The news comes on the heels of separate reports, highlighted by Unwired View, that indicate HP has withdrawn plans to build phones running Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system.
HP representatives did not immediately respond to questions on the reports.
If true, the actions are notable considering HP was the world's largest maker of PCs in the first quarter, according to IDC. Thus, the company's $1.2 billion investment into Palm's operating system signals a major strategic shift for an electronics maker that has heretofore exclusively relied on building hardware that runs software from other companies. Although HP has never managed to carve out a major position in the cell phone market, the company's move to bring an OS in-house likely will continue to reverberate through the wider electronics marketplace for the months and years to come.
For more:
- see this AllThingsD article
- see this Unwired View article
- see this Reuters article
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