HP now looking to sell, not kill, webOS
HP are set to sell off the webOS platform on the advice of their financial team. Expected to fetch “hundreds of millions of dollars” according to Reuters, analysts believe HP will struggle to claw back the $1.2bn dollars they paid to buy up Palm and gain control of the webOS platform last year
Bank of America Merrill Lynch are urging HP to sell the mobile operating system, following a lacklustre response to the company’s TouchPad tablet and HP Pre 3 handset. Possible buyers include RIM, IBM, Oracle, Intel and Amazon, who recently entered into the tablet war with their Kindle Fire Android slate.
Amazon would make for a particularly interesting buyer, what with their fresh range of tablets ready to go. Though they’ve invested heavily in Android with their own App Market store, having a tablet platform of their own could prove a lucrative differentiator.
HP, as you’d imagine, are remaining cagey on the subject; “We are exploring ways to optimize the webOS software,” reads the official company line.
Via: Reuters
