HP further clarified its webOS strategy today. Executive Vice President Todd Bradley told CNBC that HP’s future smartphones will all be powered by its webOS mobile operating system. This is a loss for Microsoft and its upcoming Windows Phone 7 launch (although HP’s fortunes in the smartphone business had been flagging for some time).
HP is taking a different approach with its smartphones than with its upcoming tablets. In the latter, we can expect to see both Windows 7 and webOS (and possibly even Android) models whereas in the former, it is hoping that a focused single OS approach will make webOS as relevant as Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, and RIM’s BlackBerry OS.
Can HP convince carriers to give webOS devices another chance? Can it convince developers to make their applications available for its new OS? And can it convince consumers to switch from their Android and iOS devices? It remains to be seen.
Now if we could only get some details on these upcoming smartphones…