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HP Kills WebOS
I don't know if anyone noticed, but HP is making a huge strategic shift. They are cutting off their consumer PC business just like IBM cut theirs off and gave it to Lenovo. They also gave up on WebOS, which they didn't have the skills to succeed with from the start.
What's interesting is now the HP Touchpad is getting price dropped to $99 in some places. I'm waiting for Amazon or Newegg to cut the price, and I'll probably pick one up. Sure it's a dead platform that won't have any apps for it. But the hardware alone is worth more than $99. It's a $99 touchscreen. Also, you know someone is going to be able to install Android on it. I can also develop some small personal projects on it for fun.
What's interesting is now the HP Touchpad is getting price dropped to $99 in some places. I'm waiting for Amazon or Newegg to cut the price, and I'll probably pick one up. Sure it's a dead platform that won't have any apps for it. But the hardware alone is worth more than $99. It's a $99 touchscreen. Also, you know someone is going to be able to install Android on it. I can also develop some small personal projects on it for fun.
Comments
The main problem with WebOS is that by the time it came out, it's marketshare had already been eaten by Android. If it had come out a year earlier and competed against the G1, it would have kicked ass. We'd probably be talking right now in a thread about Google giving up on Android, rather than HP giving up on WebOS. As it stands, though, it came out just in time for Google to launch against it what basically turned in to the first "real" version of Android: the 2.0/2.1 Eclair build.
It's kinda a shame, though. I only used it on occasion, but I really liked WebOS' interface.
1) You don't have any computer, and you aren't a heavy computer user. For example, a grandma could do all her computing on an tablet. It would be much easier for them, and do more than they would ever do.
2) You don't have any laptop whatsoever, and don't plan on getting one. You don't need to do actual computing when you're on the move. You just want to casually browse the web or whatever from airports or Starbucks. Maybe you also don't have a smartphone.
3) Even if you have a smartphone and a laptop, you have a ton of money. You want to be able to do some casual computing from the couch or bed while lying on your back. You could use your laptop or phone, but the tablet is more comfortable than the laptop and has a bigger screen than the phone. You are willing to pay extra money for that slight bit of extra comfort.
4) You are a developer and you want to program something with a big touch-screen interface. Touch-screen monitors suck and often cost more than tablets which are also computers. Microsoft Surface takes up too much room. Maybe you want to program something to control your home automation or you Arduino project.
5) You have a specialized task. Maybe you are a digital DJ, and it's easier to use a touch-screen with virtual knobs than a keyboard and mouse.
I still have a pretty decent, working Wacom tablet. Sure I can't see what I'm doing on the tablet itself, but I adjusted to that long ago. Plus: hover. I barely use my Wacom tablet. I have no idea what I would use a touch tablet (albeit a cheap one) for.