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HP “discontinues operations for webOS devices”

By: , 8/18/2011 3:40 pm | 301 comments

HP has decided to “discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones.” This is according to an official press release posted by HP today ahead of their conference call to detail their quarterly financial results. HP will continue to explore other options for webOS moving forward.

We’re a bit shocked, to say the least, considering new devices are still waiting FCC approval. What does this mean exactly? If we read it right, the TouchPad as we know it will be no more, and the US versions of the Pre 3 appears to be vapor at the moment. Licensing webOS seems to be the way moving forward.

Update 1: Richard Kerris sent out this tweet, reassuring the webOS faithful that webOS will live on on other hardware:

 

More details as we get them.

Source: Businesswire

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About Jesse Mendoza

Certified Computer Geek by day, WOR contributor & radio DJ by night. Loves indie music, Toyoto FJ Cruisers, and running marathons. He still owns all of his Palm devices and will probably go to the grave with them. Follow him on Twitter @JesseJstreet
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  • WillB

    I ordered a droid 3 on sunday….verizon called me today to let me know it had arrived….exactly one minute after finding out web os was dead. Knew I had a gut feeling sunday! Glad I acted on it….but I am as sad as everyone else on here. Great operating system, will miss you web os.

  • http://profiles.google.com/ibrainwise Brian Weis

    This news of dropping webOS devices is disheartening. I bought a Palm Pre Plus last year as an update to my Palm Centro. It took some getting used to, but webOS was light years beyond the former PalmOS, and I very much preferred it over iOS and even Android. The hardware … well, that was a different story. So when HP purchased Palm, I was hoping to see some good hardware come out with new and improved webOS updates. The February webexpo where HP talked about the Veer, TouchPad and Pre3 hooked me. It was a long wait, but I purchased a TouchPad over the first weekend of August (and I got mine for effectively $300 off because I had a gift card that I combined with the instant rebate and the FatWallet coupon). I love it! And with the supposed Pre3 launch looking to occur before my contract term for a phone upgrade, I was even content to wait for it (though I kind of hoped it would come out sooner). Oh well. Guess I’m joining Team iPhone next month. (But I’ll hold my nose as I do so).

  • Matt

    Just returned my Touchpad at hp.com. :(

    At least they let me…

  • Jayb47

    Tell you the truth, webOS wasn’t doing it for me in replacing the old PalmOS so I wont’ even miss it. The loosey-goosey pinch ‘n swipe crap really was a huge step backwards. If somebody somehow brought back the efficiency of PalmOS with OK hardware (like the Treo), I’d dump all of these handheld gameboys in a second. I need to get some work done not play with youtube and iFart.

    • http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

      Well, you know, there ARE productive platforms out there. Problem with webOS was the lack of apps. I’ve been getting all my work done, and then some, on Android since I switched over back in December.

  • BP

    We all entered the WebOs world with open eyes. When I got my Pre Plus, Palm was breathing its last breaths. Verizon’s give-away price and contract (…and I’ve got 8 months to go) made the gamble worth the expense. But it was never anything but a gamble.

    • Michael2255

      My Pre plus was a gift with no contract. My Centro and Palm 600 both still work fine. Phone calls baby!

    • Michael2255

      My Pre plus was a gift with no contract. My Centro and Palm 600 both still work fine. Phone calls baby!

  • Prebob

    Perfect timing. My Sprint contract is up in two weeks. Good bye webOS community! It’s been fun.

  • Prebob

    Perfect timing. My Sprint contract is up in two weeks. Good bye webOS community! It’s been fun.

  • Prebob

    Perfect timing. My Sprint contract is up in two weeks. Good bye webOS community! It’s been fun.

  • http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

    I’d say some folks owe Sprint an apology. Looks like their decision to jump off the webOS bandwagon wasn’t such a bad one, after all. 

    • Rodrickm84

      Looks like Sprint protected us webOS faithful…lol. Guess I’m a free agent now. Not sure If I will go with Android, iOS, or WP7 UGH!!! We got screwed, with no lube.

      • jbrandonf

        Yes we owe Sprint a huge thank you. Who wants to organize this?

      • jbrandonf

        Yes we owe Sprint a huge thank you. Who wants to organize this?

      • jbrandonf

        Yes we owe Sprint a huge thank you. Who wants to organize this?

      • jbrandonf

        Yes we owe Sprint a huge thank you. Who wants to organize this?

    • Rodrickm84

      Looks like Sprint protected us webOS faithful…lol. Guess I’m a free agent now. Not sure If I will go with Android, iOS, or WP7 UGH!!! We got screwed, with no lube.

  • http://twitter.com/2254 Michael Marr

    I guess you fanboys are feeling a little stupid right now. Come on, get yourself an iPad2, it’s really awesome.  Or wait for the 2 for $100 Touchpad specials in the Newegg dustbin.

  • Anonymous

    I am outraged. I am one of who bought the Touchpad when it came out. I am really angered that after a month they are like, “oh well, it isn’t making us money, at least we tried, sucks for the people who bought our stuff”. I will be really pissed if they drop support for it, or no more updates for it.

    I am hoping… no praying they will license it out to Samsung or HTC. I wouldn’t mind that at all.

    • http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

      Consider: if HP were to license webOS to anyone, it would take some time (probably 12 months or more) before it could possible be shipped on a device. What chances would ANY “new” platform have in a year or more?

      • Prebob

        There is always a chance for a new platform. Not saying it’s webOS but either evolution or god will introduce a new species.

    • http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

      Consider: if HP were to license webOS to anyone, it would take some time (probably 12 months or more) before it could possible be shipped on a device. What chances would ANY “new” platform have in a year or more?

  • StillHereHanginOn

    Well, HP “made it right”, they’ve pissed on & pissed off the last remaining supports. Thanks HP, thank you so very much. Bast$rds!!!

    • StillHereHanginOn

      Eap “supporters”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rebeca-Cristobal/100001252930603 Rebeca Cristobal

    ijakjflakjf

    • jbrandonf

      Me too.

    • jbrandonf

      Me too.

    • jbrandonf

      Me too.

    • jbrandonf

      Me too.

  • Brotheral01
  • Brotheral01
  • Rwally

    It’s times like these when the immortal words spokken by Tom PAxton iin the movie Aliens brings me comfort :
    ” Were F’d man”.

    • Bob Franca

      I hope you mean Bill Paxton. “Game over man!!”

  • Imupsetonhp

    It’s so sad to see how such a good piece of software is going down the drain just because some idiots didn’t put it into the right hardware so so sad to see this post

  • Imupsetonhp

    And I was wishing for a pre3

  • http://twitter.com/DigitalYout R. Johnson

    And we’re suppose to believe what Kerris say’s. Just as the rest of HP’s talking heads touted “HP scale” you suck HP.  Leo sucks too, he failed SAP, HP will soon find out he will fail them too.  

  • MarkP

    If you bought your TouchPad with an American Express card and your vendor (hp.com, Best Buy, etc.) won’t take the return, check to see if you have buyer protection on your card. This allows a return of up to 90 days if you have buyers remorse (or whatever), and they will refund if the vendor refuses.

    I am past my 21 day buying window, but I will be returning the device to HP. I love the tablet and love webOS, but I’m through with HP, for good, forever. This is my first and last HP device.

    I’m sure we’ll see TouchPads on Daily Steals or other similar site soon enough.

  • Todd

    Thank you webos roundup. I have enjoyed reading this blog.

  • djwar

    lmao…. web-o-ass…….

  • Cjh_lioness

    Wow, this is very depressing.  I like others was anxiously waiting to get
    the Touchpad and Pre3 combination.  I held
    off on the Touchpad waiting to see what was going to happen with the Pre3.  I am a long time Sprint customer and I was
    not willing to change providers.  I have
    the original Pre which I love dearly but it is on its last legs.   The plan was to have a new phone and tablet
    by the end of the year.  I was hoping
    they both would be running webOS.  I don’t
    think anything else out here can touch it. 
    My husband has the IPad2 and from usability perspective after using
    webOS for 2 years it’s a dog.   So for me
    I guess it will be the Blackberry Torch and Playbook.  It has a similar look and feel as webOS,
    should make the weaning off process a little less painful. 

  • PalmOn

    In case no one heard me before, let me say it again: I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO–I told you HP CANNOT BE TRUSTED, and guess what?  I WAS RIGHT.  DAVID from WEBOSROUNDUP and countless others that post on this sight said DON’T WORRY, HP SAID THEY WOULD BE DELIVERING NEW WEBOS PHONES AND THEY WILL.  JUST BE PATIENT.  JUST WAIT.  I said from the start that “IN THE COMING MONTHS” was a load of CRAP.  And before that I said that they lied about giving us Adobe Flash as an OTA update, so WHY SHOULD THEY BE TRUSTED?  I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO.  This makes me SO, SO glad that I used my upgrade a couple of months ago on the HTC EVO 3D, which, by the way, blows any webos phone away by a mile.  It is FAST, FAST, FAST, and makes me wonder why it took me so long to get it.  Webos is a joke.  This web site, which promotes rumors, is a joke.  Its writers are a joke.  They told me to just wait, the new webos phones are coming.  WELL, WEBOS STAFF (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES NOW?  Oh, and one more time, I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO–HP (AND PALM) CANNOT BE TRUSTED!!!!!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Damon-Hendrickson/100000392743168 Damon Hendrickson

      You have some serious issues to work out.
      WebOS is not a joke, believing in a company that promises things and then dumps you like a used tissue IS. A bad joke for sure non the less.

    • Anonymous

      While I agree some of the writers articles were a joke, and the moderators on the forum such as HParsons were delusional. The last thing people need is to have it rubbed in their face.

    • Michael2255

      This sounds like my divorce cases. The lying spouse constantly reassures the one in the more vulnerable position. Then, after the joint vacation or otherwise lovey-dovey encounter, divorce papers get filed.

  • Doug Newton

    THEY DIDN’T EVEN GIVE THE PRE 3 A CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Doug Newton

    THEY DIDN’T EVEN GIVE THE PRE 3 A CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gavin-Coles/524862901 Gavin Coles

    HP should do the decent thing and refund in full anyone who has purchased a TouchPad since its launch.  I suggest that everyone emails HP asking them what they are going to do to placate all the seriously hacked buyers.

    • Michael2255

      Seriously hacked buyers — sounds like a job for lulzsecurity.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gavin-Coles/524862901 Gavin Coles

    A copy of my short sweet email to HP’s CEO and UK Managing Director:

    It saddens me that HP has pulled the plug on webOS and associated devices. Having just recently purchased a TouchPad I am now left with a device that is just a month old, but is for all intents and purposes worthless.  Hopefully Hewlett Packard will be doing the decent thing and offering all their UK customers full refunds on recently purchased TouchPads.

  • Germany Hate Hp

    hp say first there come a update for the old palm pre and short before the update available they say noooo!!! and now 2 weeks ago available they say again noooo. what is that man. i hope you unterstand my englisch. for all palm fans keep care on you palm, perhaps the guys from hp come to you home and take your palm away from you.

  • Germany Hate Hp

    hp say first there come a update for the old palm pre and short before the update available they say noooo!!! and now 2 weeks ago available they say again noooo. what is that man. i hope you unterstand my englisch. for all palm fans keep care on you palm, perhaps the guys from hp come to you home and take your palm away from you.

  • Hem

    Any UK users that were early adopters like me who are outside of the return period can try and get their money back through their bank. Have put in a claim through Barclaycard so I guess I’ll find out soon enough if that will work or not. Not particularly happy about having to send it back but it’s pretty difficult to justify to spend that kind of money on a device that isn’t going to be properly supported.

    I guess I’m going onto the Android boat but will keep an eye out and my fingers crossed that HTC picks up webOS and does right by it.

  • Anonymous

    The way I see it, this is a good thing for webOS, a great thing even. I have personally only had bad experience with stuff from HP, computers dying, printers giving up and so on. By discontinuing their operations for webOS DEVICES and looking for a hardware partner, webOS may finally be able to reach a larger market. If HTC or Samsung or some other larger phone-making company jumps on the train, we may see webOS devices everywhere soon and with much better hardware than it has today. Let HTC make a HTC WebOSensation and give the phone a powerful dual core cpu and some other tasty hardware and people can’t ignore the great OS that webOS really is. Furthermore, now webOS may reach a wider market and people living in other countries than the few previously selected by HP as their webOS-market may be able to get their hands on a webOS-phone.

  • StuartB

    So… I had ordered my new Pre 3 yesterday about an hour before the news broke.  It turned up this morning.
    It’s a great phone actually.  Built well,looks good, screen is nice and it operates really well.

    I would have kept it apart from the fact that several of the apps that I had on my Pixi Plus aren’t even available on the Pre 3.  Including Facebook and Spotify.  Yes, HP released the Pre 3 in the UK without a working facebook app and then discontinued it the next day.

    If I thought the basic apps would work I would keep the phone.  But after this I guess that facebook and spotify will never work on the Pre 3.  So it’s going back.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XSOT55C3YQ45NX3KMWSHLBQM4I Anonymous
    • Michael2255

      Their stock price is down 20% from yesterday. Ouch!

  • Nina

    So I’m just wondering if they’re still going to put the Pre3 out? I found a site that shows it coming to Verizon http://www.newcellphonesblog.com/new-verizon-phones-coming-soon.html . The idea of going to a different OS is not something I want to do, I’d take a Pre3 if it came to Verizon, regardless of what’s going on.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dvogt David Vogt

    All I can say is this: http://youtu.be/BFjxWuW6Bss

  • http://www.facebook.com/dvogt David Vogt

    All I can say is this: http://youtu.be/BFjxWuW6Bss

  • Mick

    IMO especially the new webOS devices are great. But the question I ask myself for weeks and months: How will HP find enough customers (here in Germany) without ads, commercials and TV spots? If I weren’t a Pre enthusiast looking up for webOS news and devices actively, how should I know something about a Pre3 and a TouchPad? Nobody of my friends knows anything about those devices and their pros. Sleep well, HP.

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