∞ Jason Snell's review of the HP TouchPad

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I have to admit, I’m kind of rooting for HP, the TouchPad, and the webOS. Apple needs strong competitors in the tablet market to help push things forward, and I think companies with control of both hardware and software are more likely to produce high-quality products. For years I’ve wondered why nobody was trying to replicate some of Apple’s product-creation success, and that’s exactly what HP is doing with its webOS strategy.

I always thought that only RIM and HP had a chance to give Apple any real competition. Clearly RIM screwed things up, so now it’s up to HP. WebOS is a very nice looking operating system that has a lot of potential. The devil is in the developers and whether HP can convince them to make apps.

Hands on with the HP TouchPad | Macworld


  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001578926066 Coward Anonim

    Isn’t HP looking for licencing WebOS to Samsung and others? It is newest rumor!

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PGAKF77XPPPBXVHRA76CYIEO2Y airmanchairman

      Interesting rumour, that.

      What with the news of various Android-using vendors queueing up to pay Microsoft patent licensing fees, with Oracle-Sun litigation waiting in the wings not to mention thousands of smaller IP rights owners, there just may be some unexpected defections round the corner if it comes to pass that “free ain’t free after all”.

      It seems “thieves and copycats” abound in Silicon Valley, so I would advise against pointing fingers in any direction for fear of the three fingers that inevitably point “backatcha”, Dean Lewis :-)

  • http://www.theuniversalsteve.com Anonymous

    Exhibition and Synergy sound like good features. I’m sure this will appeal to the Apple haters and maybe that will give HP the momentum they need to get developers on board this 1.0 product. 

    I guess we’re all supposed to be happy that someone is providing some competition to Apple, but I think Steve Jobs’ Apple has never been driven by what the competition is doing. They’re driven by their own vision. That’s why the competition is always following them. But if competition means they’ll appropriate some good features from other products, I’m all for it.

    • http://www.powerwatchers.com/ Dean Lewis

      Well, they have appropriated some features. One latest example is the drop/pulldown notification window in iOS 5 (borrowed from Android implementations). The days of “Not Invented Here” are far behind for Apple. Of course, giving up the complaints about not using things they didn’t invent when they’re good for complaints that they are thieves and copycats is a side-effect. :)

  • Gprovida

    WebOS much more innovative than most competitors, but having hardware and software in one company is step 1. Step 2 is getting them to integrate for overall user experience. This will take time. Evidence for this integration is power efficiency and smooth graphics. There is promise, but Apple had these locked on day 1 iPad and iPhone 2007, it looks these are day 180+ for HP. Yeah it takes time, why iPad and iPhone did not launch in 2009 and 2006, that quality launch discipline is universally missing with Apple’s competitors – time to market with alpha version, RIM and Samsung, and beta versions, Samsung and HP is not good branding. Perhaps MS’s trade of time vs quality will pay off.