MarkHurd Archive

  • HP says it’s in the smartphone market, after all

    HP says it’s in the smartphone market, after all

    Posted on June 3, 2010 | No Comments
    HP CEO Mark Hurd certainly caused a few sad faces yesterday when he told investors and analysts that HP "didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business," and now the company is trying to walk that back a little -- rest easy, folks, because there are definintely more webOS smartphones on the way. Apparently what Hurd was really trying to say was that HP is excited about using webOS as the foundation for all types of smaller web-connected devices, and smartphones are just a part of that universe -- a part HP intends to pursue. Phew. Now, can we see these new webOS devices, please? Here's the full statement from HP:
    When we look at the market, we see an array of interconnected devices, including tablets, printers, and of course, smartphones. We believe webOS can become the backbone for many of HP's small form factor devices, and we expect to expand webOS's footprint beyond just the smartphone market, all while leveraging our financial strength, scale, and global reach to grow in smartphones.

    HP says it's in the smartphone market, after all originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP CEO: “We didn’t buy Palm to be in the smartphone business”

    HP CEO: “We didn’t buy Palm to be in the smartphone business”

    Posted on June 2, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/HP_We_didn_t_buy_Palm_to_be_in_the_smartphone_business';You'd think spending a billion dollars on a smartphone company would indicate a desire to, say, make and sell smartphones, but you'd apparently be thinking wrong: HP CEO Mark Hurd just told investors at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch tech conference that his company "didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business," and that he's not going to "spend billions of dollars trying to go into the smartphone business; that doesn't in any way make any sense." Yes, that sound you're hearing is Jon Rubinstein's heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. According to Hurd, HP was actually more interested in Palm's IP -- specifically webOS, which he wants to put on "tens of millions of HP small form-factor web-connected devices." Sure, that makes sense, and it lines up perfectly with HP's plan to "double down on webOS" and put it on everything from netbooks and slates to printers, but hey, Mark? You should really look into the smartphone business when you get a second, okay? Just trust us on this one.
    We didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business. And I tell people that, but it doesn't seem to resonate well. We bought it for the IP. The WebOS is one of the two ground-up pieces of software that is built as a web operating environment...We have tens of millions of HP small form factor web-connected devices...Now imagine that being a web-connected environment where now you can get a common look and feel and a common set of services laid against that environment. That is a very value proposition.

    [Thanks, Steve]

    HP CEO: "We didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business" originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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