webOS Could Be Coming To Non-HP Devices, Says HP CEO

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HP bought Palm last year for $1.2 billion, and HP executives were quick to point out that they purchased the then ailing smartphone manufacturer for their critically acclaimed mobile operating system, webOS. So, some may be asking, will HP license out webOS to anybody who wants to use it, like Nokia and Symbian, Google and Android and Microsoft and Windows? According to HP CEO Leo Apotheker announced that they would consider licensing out webOS to other manufacturers.

This revelation was mad in two parts. First, in San Diego at the Qualcomm Uplinq conference, Senior VP at HP and former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein announced that they would be willing to work with “special companies” to license webOS to. Then, two hours away in Los Angeles, HP CEO Leo Apotheker was speaking at AllThingsD’s D9 conference in a fireside chat. When asked about licensing it to other companies, Apotheker said:

It’s a great OS — why wouldn’t we want to offer it to other companies?

Then, when AllThingD’s Kara Swisher asked Apotheker would he would say if HTC came to them and wanted to make a webOS phone, the CEO replied:

We’d certainly have that conversation.

As many readers know, webOS was (is) critically acclaimed, and has a following on the internet, although the sales of those Palm devices carrying it were never amazing on the scale of the iPhone or anything.

Many have speculated that HP’s move to acquire webOS was done for two reasons. One, HP breaks their dependence on Microsoft and Windows for their software needs. They don’t need Windows Phone 7 to put on phones, they don’t need Windows 7 to put on tablets. If the Google Chromebooks are a success, I could see HP putting webOS on cheap netbook-style devices, too. See where they’re cutting the link to Microsoft.

Secondly, it’s also been reported that HP wants to be “cool” like Apple. This is allegedly one of the missions that HP’s board of directors tasked Apotheker with when they hired him. HP is already the largest electronics company in the world and the largest computer manufacturer, but their products don’t get the buzz and demand the respect that Apple products do. If they have their own proprietary operating system, like Mac OS X or iOS, it could go a long way to getting that “cool” image. You know, because Windows is boring these days and all the kids want something fresh and hip.