As it became known this morning, Hewlett Packard sold the rights to the mobile operating system webOS South Korean giant LG Electronics.
In fact, the event is hardly unique, since their interest in webOS Koreans demonstrated in September last year. Now experts LG busy adapting the system for use in a "smart" TV - it is expected that the first such model will be demonstrated in the very near future. It is stated that these devices will have a number of advantages over similar products from competitors. Issue a mobile device with webOS the new owners do not plan. Although it is likely that the system also adapts for use in certain types of household appliances.
Thus, there is a new webOS-suffering (and probably last) chance. This system is repeatedly noted as a very interesting, easy and promising, but commercial success has not had.
And the story it began in 2002, when the company Palm was first expressed tentative statement of the need for the latest operating system focused on performance on the Internet. Handhelds companies were working under the "classical» Palm OS 5.x (and later - Garnet OS), which is perfect for the organizer, but it does not correspond to the realities of the time, and generally obsolete.
And work on a fundamentally new system really were. In 2003, Palm actually is a union of two independent companies - Palm One (creating PDAs) and PalmSource (the software for them.) Last something and started to work on Palm OS 6.x Cobalt, which, as promised, was to make a revolution not only in the world of Palm, but for all handhelds in general. By the way, the basis of this system was based on the achievements of Be Inc, created by the operating system BeOS, which once nearly became what is now Mac OS X
However, before the revolution, it never came. Developing all the time delayed. And in 2006, PalmSource generally been absorbed by the Japanese company ACCESS, which has decided to create on the basis of developments Cobalt own solution - Access OS, again, promising a revolution. Which in the end did not happen, the system as a result there was only in the dreams of developers.
And found himself alone in Palm One, which again became simply Palm, had to start again from scratch. At this time, the origin was Linux. Things went a little faster, by early 2009, the system was introduced Palm webOS and demonstrated the first working under her smartphone - Palm Pre.
But the success of the original novelty and had, for the first device was followed by several others, no less original. But they hardly interested market. The situation has become worse than ever Palm in April 2010, it absorbed the Hewlett Packard.
But attempts to extend HP's webOS as to what failed. Thus, in 2011 a tablet computer TouchPad was a failure (as discussed later, because frankly incompetent marketing) and was not a success in the market. But no, short-term success still was - realizing the hopelessness of their attempts HP, beginning remainder tablets for 99 dollars a piece, and then they just grind. Still, after all of this cost the consumer gets a great device with a 10-inch screen, the possibilities of which was more than enough for surfing the web and reading the news. HP also offended and said it will now only produce tablets running Windows . And in February 2013 broke this promise by providing a device for Android.
For about a year the fate of webOS remains unclear. It was decided to make the system open, appeared Open webOS. Then tried to adapt to the printers. On this idea over and it just hangs in a strange state.
And so, there was a new twist in the fate of the unusual. But LG Will do anything sensible, still unclear. In any case, mobile devices Open webOS we do not see. Although the honor of LG, the company said that for some time continue to support users of smartphones and tablets with webOS.
