HP drops Windows 7 from 'Slate' tablet, will use WebOS
afterdawn.com
afterdawn.com
Techcrunch: "But our source tells us that HP is not satisfied with Windows 7 as a tablet operating system and has terminated the project (something CrunchGear mentioned months ago). HP may also be abandoning Intel-based hardware for its slate lineup simply because it’s too power hungry. That would also rule out Windows 7 as an operating system."
AfterDawn: "Sources say HP was not happy with the overall performance of Windows 7 on their unreleased tablet, saying the OS was too power-hungry... TechCrunch says also that HP is set to drop the Intel processor used in the tablet, which would completely kill off any chance of Windows 7 being used."
Funny how the echo suddenly changes it to the OS being too power hungry instead of the chipset, huh? It saddens me that this is how "news" often gets reported. People keep repeating mistaken versions of what they heard without doing any investigation of their own, until the facts get completely muddled. It's like a giant game of telephone...
But isn't it Windows fault that it requires a power hungry x86 CPU? You can run other OSes on multiple types of hardware and have your engineers pick the best hardware for the device's needs. Or you decide "We're going with Windows!" and now your engineers are trying to figure out how to stretch the battery long enough to run this x86 CPU. If not for Windows being stuck on one platform I don't think we would have ever had the Atom.
I don't think it's just Windows that encourages x86 use; it's also the fact that the ecosystem is richer for that chipset anyway (hardware compatibility for things like the webcam and card reader come to mind). If you decide to go with a linux distro on top of custom hardware, then you might have to develop drivers yourself, as well as build up some UI paradigms customized for touch. WebOS gives them a great starting point to do just that, so in the end their actions still look consistent with their goals.
Well, it's richer mainly because that's the platform Windows runs on exclusively (or near-exclusively; there are probably a few non-x86 Windows installs out there still) and thus dominant. If you had more competition in processor architectures I would expect that you would not have such an unbalanced chipset and onboard-hardware ecosystem.
Also, I'm not really sure why things like webcams or card readers would depend on processor arch; most webcams (even built-in laptop ones) that I've worked with interface over USB. Same with most recent card readers. It's not like they're plugged right into the FSB or anything.
The Atom might only use 2.5W, but the chipset to go with it uses 9W!
Actually, it was my fault for doing the pre-emptive upvote thing. I need to stop doing that. It works on reddit, because I can undo my upvote, but even then it's a bad habit.
- Pixel Qi or similar screen (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/the-pixel-qi-display/ ). 1024x768 (instead of x600) would be nice.
- Thrifty CPU/chipset (e.g. 1GHz ARM, etc.), for day-long battery.
- Video out (e.g. mini-DP, for presentations, etc.)
- Easy to install your own OS. Seems there's already Linux underneath WebOS; if HP is not selling hardware at a loss, it might as well profit from unsupported (software wise) customers ...
"TechCrunch says also that HP is set to drop the Intel processor used in the tablet, which would completely kill off any chance of Windows 7 being used."
This gives HP more negotiating leverage over Microsoft and Intel. Now that they have their own OS they can put on new form factor devices, Microsoft will have to give HP a good deal to get Windows on those devices. Windows is tied pretty tightly to Intel, so owning WebOS gives them more flexibility in processor architecture. Negotiating over new devices could lead to lower prices from Microsoft and Intel all around.
This alone could justify the price they paid for Palm, over time.
I suspect this is a negotiating point with Redmond. If MS is serious about remaining relevent in the smartphone & table era - the price of a Win7 license might well be negative.
HP has been the graveyard of a lot of OSes - VMS, HPUX, Tru64, Compaq, Tandem now BEOS and WebOS
And I just think it's possible that HP is finally getting a clue. Buying Palm is a good sign, because really, why else would they buy it if they're not planning on actually using WebOS?
By buying Palm, HP gets:
- immunity from Apple lawsuits (through MAD)
- a decent patent portfolio on the mobile space
- a decent OS comparable to Apple's
- a reasonable stick with which to coerce Microsoft
Not a bad deal, IMHO
- headache and commitment of OS maintenance and advancement on OS that nobody but them uses - virtually no app eco system
Basically what they are getting is bootstrapping an OS onto the market in their own closed loop of hardware+OS which is an epic endeavor IMHO. They don't have (anymore) tablet nor OS nor apps on the market and now they will try to try to do all three at the same time. I was just saying it might have been better to rely on someone whose job is OS rather than allocate resources themselves.
Considering it in comparison to the PC market: iPad has both the "cool/design/ease-of-use" of the Mac and the large 3rd party app market of Windows; Android has the openness/choice/capability of Linux. Those both seem to have a very obvious niche and I'd think will continue to see much success. So what room is there for a 3rd OS? And it doesn't help any that Microsoft's going to want a big chunk of 3rd place, too...
Still, it's nice to see more vendors attempting to sell/take responsibility for "the whole widget".
Host webOS inside Android. Then you get both JavaScript and Android apps as 1st class citizens.
Android is none of that. It's a Linux that's been bludgeoned to death by Sidekick developers, and then run through the meat grinder by a bunch of Taiwanese hardware idiots. Everything their code had to touch directly was needlessly reimplemented in boggling ways that are neither useful nor portable.
The fucking iPhone is more recognizably Unix than Android is! You get about as much of the "openness/choice/capability" of the Linux kernel on Android as you do with a TiVO.
You may want to tell Apple about this.
I love my Droid phone and was thinking that a tablet droid (no phone service, just Wifi) would be really nice. The HP tablet with WebOS will also be worth considering.
I read that in a few years that half of Internet use will be mobile devices so HP's acquisition of Palm may prove to be a good gamble.
Please use accurate headlines people... Unless you want hacker-news to become like Digg?
I can't imagine trying to use a browser without Roboform for anything other than the most casual Googling on the go. All my media is in the cloud in Zumo.
You might as well complain "I wanted a forest, but all I got were a bunch of trees!"
... for sale on racks at the local nursery, with their roots stuffed into plastic bags.
The packages provided by WebOS are useless too. It's built from a lot more than that.
Anyway, it's just some silly rumor masquerading as fact. It's more likely HP will offer something like expressgate, and offer 2 OS's, so that people can use WebOS for basic tasks, and Windows 7 for complex ones (at the cost of greater battery usage).