HP won't license webOS, plans to sell 15 million webOS printers next year; Update: Video 99
Todd Bradley, HP's Executive Vice President, Personal Systems Group (and former Palm CEO and potential candidate as the future HP CEO) joined Michael Arrington onstage for TechCrunch Disrupt. Harry McCracken of Technologizer caught one bit we aren't surprised to hear: HP won't license webOS to other hardware makers.
Bradley says that he expects that the tablet market, which HP plans on entering in a big way, will be a $40 Billion-with-a-B market in the next few years. Bradley also mentioned that next year he believes his company will sell 15 million webOS-powered printers. Bradley sees webOS offering a consistent user interface between phones and tablets (and printers, we guess).
Finally, Bradley straight up says that "We are not trying to be Apple," a turn of phrase we're happy to hear for various reasons that - in the interest of avoiding a flamewar - we'll leave to your imagination.
Update: Full video of the interview is after the break!
Source: TechCrunch
99 Comments
Dontlicense it.
can't watch the video, no flash...lmao
I'm pretty sure I am grasping the concept, but basically If I need to print something off my HP/Palm phone..... I can just plug in my HP printer anywhere I'm at and zap it from the phone to the printer...Is that correct?
Yes by cloud
Correct me if I'm wrong, I read somewhere that HP intends each printer to have it's own email address. Could be as easy as email and print. WebOS would just be the OS you use to access it. Rather simple actually.
I'm hoping this is building up for an announcement tomorrow
Im glad to hear WebOs is not going to be on a million different devices like Android. I cant stand seeing another device come out and it looks just like any other Android phone. WebOs only needs one phone and thats whatever phone Palm makes for it. All other WebOS devices like printers etc. will bring in new WebOS phone users. I think thats a good move. And the part about they arent trying to be like apple....haha, THANK GOD.
Its good that webOS isn't going to be like android, however it needs to be on more than two phones. People need options. They need to make phones of various screen sizes, some with keyboard and some without, And update them annually.
People have options. If you don't want a Palm phone, get a iPhone or an Android phone or a blackberry etc. People complain too much and don't give Palm a chance. They came out with four phones already (Pre, Pre+, Pixi, Pixi+) and are working on a better phone for all the Palm fans. Palm is just starting out in the full touchscreen smartphone business with apps and all. When they get it right, they'll get it right. People need to stop being so impatient.
That's what people are doing. They don't want Palm phones so they're buying iPhones and Android phones.
Let them. I, for one, am a loyal palm user. And I feel the upcoming phones palm puts out will be, one, better than the Pre, and two, better than any other phone out there. Apple only makes one phone and they do fine because, yeah, some things are better. Once Palm gets it right, people will be flocking to the new phone just like they do any other phone. thats just my opinion.
"let them" --- Spoken like a true fanboy. Android is out pacing the iPhone now. Why? People have several carriers and phones to choose from. And new phones with the latest hardware come out EVERY MONTH. Technology moves fast. When you release a phone once every 18 months, you can quickly become outdated (see Pre). People see and hear about Android phones constantly with the new phones coming out. Android gets to sit back and let the manufacturers battle it out and market their phones aggressively. webOS people are so funny whining about new phones coming out every month. How ridiculous. You would be drooling over new webOS phones every month.
Yeah, I admit, Im a fanboy. I love everything about the Pre. Thats why Im on this site. Who can really afford to buy a new phone every month? Every Pre user on Verizon and AT&T has yet to own their Pre for a year. All the complaining is mostly coming from Sprint users. But I get that. Palm has been going through a lot of changes and people whine and complain that they aren't coming out with anything. I am patient enough to enjoy the phone I have now and wait for the next big thing coming soon from Palm.
"we don't need more options, because there's an option - to abandon WebOS altogether"??? Deep & thoughtfull, indeed. Hope HPalm give it slightly more consideration
ROFL, well said.
Well hold ur horses fellow. Remember John Rubenstein is old Apple. He's at the head of of Palm and WebOS. I too would rather see webOS released on select phones, alla Apple, then to see it fall into the methodology of Android. It's just, I see that not all things apple does are bad. I can think of a few things I admire, namely build quality and battery life.
toasters?
Id like a webOS Fridge. Interactive apps with recipes etc. TV apps; youtube. Because you know there is someone rich enough out there to buy one of these super webOS fridges.
Oh and a webOS security system - so I can activate my home security system from my fridge, toaster, cell phone, tablet pc, netbook and more.
OK - I want webOS on EVERYTHING.
Why don't people understand the concept of webOS on a printer? I hate navigating though menus and settings on my brother printer. A bright and colorful capacitive touchscreen would be awesome on a printer. It worked for cell phones, why cant it work for printers?
Let's hope other printer companies follow suit (with capacitive screens and simple webOS-inspired options), since HP won't be licensing the OS. Or that HP decides to offer printers with a straight paper path--some of us need to print on heavier paper for some print jobs, and I haven't considered an HP printer in years because I haven't seen one that can do it.
or how about when palm brings Zhephree on board officially and Neato! becomes a standard feature. Now with one click you send the page you want to print to your webOS printer and ... Neato!
also, the foursquare app is so slick, it should just be ON the device, out of the box.
Likewise, why can't people understand why you need a high powered, multitasking OS just to run a printer ui?
I agree with your comment about menu driven "ui" for a printer, but there are a lot less complicated ways to put a touch screen ui on a printer than putting webOS on it.
Saying that a printer "needs" webOS to be non-menu driven is akin to saying I need a Pratt & Whitney PurePower
Im sure they aren't going to put the same features on a printer as on your phone. The printer wont run Angry Birds or anything. haha. Im sure it will have its own UI but it can still be powered by WebOS.
Dude, how awesome would it be to play Angry Birds while waiting by my WebOS coffee-maker?
I can't wait until it takes four minutes to reboot my printer.
Those of you who criticize webOS on a printer, probably don't use a lot of professional quality printers/coppiers. Yes, webOS on your $50 inkjet is probably more than you need... but if you've used any networked corporate printer/coppier combinations, you know how complicated the touch displays can be. Also, our printers at work are set up so we can log into our network profile & send scans to our email or a shared folder. Non-tech people find this very complicated... & we have the simplest interface I've seen on a printer. WebOS would blow his away & dramatically simplify things.
Amen. These are fantastic devices but so much of the functionality of modern "printers" is locked away by horrid user interfaces. webOS will be most welcome.
+1 Printer interfaces are crap, they evolve as fas as fax UI. There is only so much you can do with three buttons and a multicolor blinking light. Can't wait to see this in action, after the next phone releases.
At work, we use a big HP Work Center wp55.
It has a resistive touch screen that displays and searches options. Not difficult at all to operate. (keeping it from jamming: a whole 'nuther problem) So i am curious as to what *this* touchscreen brings to the table.
I, for one, don't fancy carrying a printer with me, I'd rather have an upgraded phone, please!
I try to imagine where's the need for high-end, web-based, multitasking mobile OS on a printer, with application store support, gps, apps, etc, etc, etc, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot see it. But tha's normal, all CEOs are muppets.
just another CEO nonsense - but I am sure they'll actually implement it.
Can you imagine how great that will be to get webOS into the mind of dumbsumers? Love it!
I'm hoping it'll control my vacuum cleaner too. I hate doing that sh*t!
We need multiple tablets w webOS, some from H-Palm and some from HP. The ones from H-palm could be high end, and the ones from HP lower end
Whoa, whoa, whoa. 15 million? Are they serious? How many printers do they sell a year right now?
You need to calculate all the printers businesses buy from HP for offices and other work related places. They sell a crap load of them. They don't only make printers for personal use.
This is from 2/17/10 after reporting quarterly results.
>>>HP said today that revenue in its Imaging and Printing Group increased 4 percent during the fiscal first quarter, to $6.2 billion.
what's really sad is that the ink will cost as much as just replacing the printer....
.... I can see it now, 'how come you have 10 tablets laying around your house?'...
HP has already adopted ePrint and AirPrint - wireless printing from an iOS device - starting THIS year.
Do they really expect people to pick a smartphone or tablet OS based on the fact that the printer runs webOS? Are you kidding?
In the corporate world, well maybe yes. I'm sure IT managers would at least like the idea/integration.
so... how many webOS PHONES do they intend to sell?
While they may not be trying to BE Apple, I think they are trying to be Apple LIKE. And as a Pre+ user and a long time Mac/Apple user? I like that. Own the hardware and the OS. Much more control over the direction of your platform then. And since Mobile is the future, and where these companies plan on making their money, why would you want to be tied down to a third party. It is just like Apple not allowing Flash on their iDevices. Because something gets so big that you have no control over? It will hurt you in the end.
As a student, I want a webos printer in my car. So I can print regardless of where I am.
Is it me or does is it seem like HP is more intent on delivering a tablet and webOS printer than releasing a new phone? HP comments freely on the printer but is so silent on a much needed Pre/Pixi replacement. I guess it'll be nice to play Angry Birds while waiting for the print job to finish.
HP CEO: "We didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business"
You know, as time drags on with nothing about hardware and only the talk of webOS 2.0, I am inclined to think that he did not misspeak when he said this.
I have a friend who works at HP (consulting division) and he states they are still pushing Win Mobile phones big time internally.
this is an older article about HP's earnings but interesting. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/hp-earnings-solid-quarter-and-better-full-... 21% of their revenue comes from printing and imaging products. So clearly it's an important share. But what if found interesting was this.
"Specifically, he told analysts that the acquisition of Palm was mostly about intellectual property. The smartphone business is a big one but
If I hear about a !@$@#* WebOS printer one more time...
They love to talk about WebOS printers but smartphones only come up when they are pressed about it, and they seem to only answer to shut up the the person/people asking. I think HP's intentions are painfully obvious. Ive come to the conclusion that its in the consumer's best interest to make there phone purchasing decisions based on the assumption that WebOS phones are permanently a thing of the past (i.e. betamax etc..).
If that turns out to be an incorrect assumption then take it as a pleasant surprise
Well, if an HP executive even says the word "phone" in public, it appears on this blog. So, by not saying anything about phones, they are telling you that they aren't really that interested in them.
Yes, its allll about "devices" or "mobile devices." Never smart phones or phones.
Anyone noticed that the TechCrunch article says that PALM will sell 15 million printers running webOS..
And if you read into it ... 0 webOS phones.
I agree with the person above. Why are they so loose lipped when it comes to printers, but everyone gives them a pass when it comes to saying anything about a darn phone?
My point is that he was saying (according to the strange article, Palm licensing iOS?) that printers will be sold under the Palm brand. This would be very, nay, extremely strange. Probably the person writing the article mistook printers for tablet, as suggested in one of the comments, or mistook Palm for HP. Either way, pretty strange suggestion, that HP would use the Palm brand for printers.. :)
I don't know what benefit a webOS Printer will have over a regular non-webOS Printer, but since I am, or soon will be, in the market for a new all in one printer for my office, I'm happy to spend the $ to support webOS and HPalm.
now give me an ETA on that printer so I can budget. :p
i got my last three printers from hand me downs or a dumpster. i couldn't give a shit about printers.
Printing seems to be declining. Regardless. me personally i'm not buying a printer and even when i do i don't want any os on it. i don't need to print from my phone normally. printers is not something i'm interested in.
i expect the one i have to last another 7 years. and even then my parents have one that's better then mine and i'll take theirs.
No announcement on a WebOS Coffee-Maker?
As I was pondering how custom to go to setup a touchstone in my car, I decided I'd prefer to have webOS dash controls for radio, heat, etc., a la Ford Sync. This seems more useful to me than webOS printers, let alone the tongue-in-cheek toasters and coffee makers.
Why is everyone comparing HP products (printers) to Palm products (phones). Yes we are hearing about printers and tablets from HP because thats the HP side of it. Palm is still its own little company inside HP. So when a new phone is ready to be announced, Im sure it will be Palm that announces it. Not HP. So stop complaining that HP isn't announcing a new phone.
they need to sell 15 million palm phones next year these poeple drive me crazy i jus want you guys to drop a leak or specs on the new phone, something better be out by the first week of december
they don't expect people to pick up a phone or tablet because they have a printer with webos but it:
-gets the name out
-gets users familiar with the os
-makes their printers better
-integrated os across many platforms
they are setting up for the future.
"gets the name out" huh,huh... Why don't sell a tshirts with WebOS prints on them??? It is soooo bizarre and disconnected with the smartphone market, that it actually makes more evil than good, because anyone in his right mind (like developers, for example) see that HP doesn't have slightest idea what gem they have, what to do with it, and how to push it forward!
"makes the printers better" huh huh, I wonder in which regard? What have you seen in WebOS that makes you think it is a must-have for a printer?
"integrates os across many platforms" huh, huh... Cannot see that integration between a printer and a phone,even if equipped w/ the same OS.
come on, ppl, get real. HP is utterly clueless about WebOS.
the only hope is, that Ruby& co. really didn't slept that all time, and indeed have sometthing BRILLIANT in the pipeline, and soon. This is their last shot - "backed by financial strength of HP and blahblah", or not.
Settle down cowboy. By the way you write posts I am sure you would do so much better with WebOS than HP. I hear they are looking for a new CEO, I will put in a good word for you.
...no I wouldn't, things I say make way too much sense, so people can actually understand me - and because of that they do not automatically subdue to my "leadership". Also, my ego is not big enough. Finally, I am falling asleep on quarterly meetings, because my mind shuts down, to protect me from BS overload.
You would do great, though.
You just wait and see...
I wish they would come out with a comment about how many phones they think they will sell.
I am excited by all of the news about webOS! I look forward to the future and all that HP & Palm have planned. Thanks for all of the work that is put into this great blog.
Did anyone noticed that the HP Exec said that HP mainly purchased Palm for WebOS. Also did you noticed that this HP Exec was in charge of purchasing Palm.
I really do not want a WebOS phone, but I'm VERY OPEN to buying a WebOS Tablet.
I know that HP desperately wants "printing" to stay relevant. They make the bulk of their income from consumables (ink, etc) after all.
But I wonder how sustaining that is. When was the last time anyone faxed anything? Or when you were on the road, when was the last time a paper copy of something was necessary?
Sure there is still a market for documents that must be physical, or physically signed (legal, real estate, etc) but technology is even supplanting that, and I expect this will continue.
Hi finngirl,
Personally, I don't do much faxing or printing, but apparently a lot of corporations & people still do. I just looked at the HP 3rd qtr, 2010 Financial Report. Here is the PDF link if you are interested:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NTkzNDh8Q2hpb...
To summarize in terms of their Imaging & Printing Group in a single qtr:
Revenues=$6.167B
Earnings=$1.04B
Those are billions w/a B in a 3 month period so printing/faxing is not done yet. I don't think most of us realize what healthcare & other industries do in this sector.
Of course its not "done." But is it going up, or down, as a market (irrespective of HPs share)?
My health care provider is now paperless. My health records are electronically stored and encrypted, and shared among several different doctors in my network (internist, dermatologist, gynecologist, othropedics, etc). You'd be hard pressed to find a paper folder in those offices.
FYI, down about 2% from last qtr, but UP about 10% from the qtr before that. I don't know if the industry has typically strong and weak qtrs each year. BUT a business unit providing 20% of revenues & over 25% of earnings--last qtr--is far from being done. BTW, this is public information from the earnings sheet. The one I reviewed compared the last 3 quarters.
My healthcare provider processes claims paperless for my convenience, but has files stored--mostly outside the office; furthermore, imaging may be more important than printing soon.
I was surprised by these HP numbers as my brother used to design & sell business forms. His industry changed radically in a short period of time as paper forms were reduced. I will leave it to the CEO-less firm of HP to be looking ahead in this area. Whether it is printers or the follow on to the printer, $6B in revenues is nothing to sneeze about.
i don't care in the slightest about printing or tablets and i agree it's declining but it's not remotely going away in the corporate sense. Businesses often still need to make hard copies of stuff. I mean i'd type on a word processor but print to proofread and edit. I've always done it. most people in our office did similar stuff. well the ones responsible for writing things.
all that being said i don't give a rat's ass about printers and don't know many people that do. and as a side noted almost nobody in our office used the networked printers visual interface. We opened up word, made sure the right printer was selected, and hit the print icon. Walked to the printer and grabbed the papers. for big jobs we sent shit to kinkos.
I would like a webOS copier. I can never seem to figure out the different interfaces between copiers! But I don't think HP makes copiers... :(
I want a printer hidden behind a capacitive touch screen, hanging on my wall. The screen could show pictures, remote control the home theater, display weather conditions, etc.,. But when I need it I can print movie tickets, a map, my son's homework, etc.,. from wherever I might be, in or out of the house, on my laptop, tablet, or phone or directly from the printer. WebOS would be excellent in this regard.
Who gives a damn about about printers. Where the hell is the new phone hardware? Does HP think about anything other than printers?
Look, I am here for the phones, too, but printers were about 20% of HP's last qtr revenues ($6.2B of $30.7B) and more than 25% of their earnings ($1B of $3.7B).
Let's hope the phone group is just as successful!
I sort of wish they WOULD license WebOS. I'd love to see a Cli
The silence by HP on the subject of new phones means either two things--A) there is no new phone coming out or B) they got something in the works that they are being instructed to keep their mouths shut by management. The fact that they bought Palm instead of just buying the right to use webOS kinda suggests the latter. Be patient.
As for all this Android talk--People, Android is a operating system--not an actual phone. Who cares if they release a new phone running Android every month, especially if none of the phones software are compatible with one another. It's not like there is a phone manufactorer named Android--making new phones every couple weeks. In essence, Android is like Windows--except that unlike Windows, one program may or may not run on the next computer
At least Android has apps. With practically no market share very few developers are willing to invest in webOS. Without new hardware HP/Palm can't attract enough new customers to gain the market share they so desprately need. Hell they can't even retain old customers. How many have we lost to the Evo and now the Epic. At times I've really wanted to upgrade to the Epic. I want a new webOS phone NOW!
Apparently Palm has enough faith in their new device to not worry about that. Once they announce it and show what it can do, if its good enough, developers will say "ooooo, a new awesome device to put our apps on." and consumers will probably just say "oooo a new shinny device I want." People will come flocking back to Palm.
"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."
IBM tried exactly what it seems like HP is doing. They created the first PC and locked everything down. No licensing the OS, single vendor, etc., etc.
How many PCs do you think IBM sold in 2010? How many laptops did IBM sell in 2010? The answer is 0 for both. The got roundly slapped down for the proprietaryness of the devices.
They then came up with the OS (OS/2)which was WAY better than MS Windows, but they completely failed on marketing (they thought everyone would flock to it because they were IBM).
So, failed marketing, not licensing OS -- sound familiar? This is HPalm's playbook to a "T". (Of course we can't say HP's marketing of webOS is bad, yet -- because they haven't done any to be called good or bad).
PHONES!!!
PHONES!!!
PHONES!!!
HP CEO: "We didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business"
HP CEO = FIRED!!!!!
The fact that he was fired does not remotely change why they a company bought Palm. It is in fact evidence of their state of mind when they were buying Palm. And the truth is it wasn't for the phone business.
Too bad we don't have flash for Pre so we can see the video! Lol
Cutting off all chance of licensing sounds like a poor choice, especially if it could help them in driving adpotion in the tablet market.
SKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTT
@ kanesis - I wholeheartedly agree. In addition, there maybe be some interesting apps to be created for a printer. Besides obvious things like scheduled reports being printed for meetings in the business world, I could see reporters wanting hard copies of photos and video stills printed automatically. Who knows when you might have your phone confiscated and evidence of what you filmed wiped from the cloud. If nothing else it will be interesting to see what the market does with a webos printer.
I'm sorry, but I can see the video on my iPad, and it doesn't have flash. The video must be html5 or something then, but at least webos 2 has that.
Damn, I'm not saying that a WebOS printer would not be successful or useful, I just don't freakin care. I want a phone!! Hell, put WebOS on a laptop and I'd buy that too, but give me a phone firs!!
A numbers guy. I can respect that. I like how he more effectively interfaced with me, on my level, by removing the tie. Now Todd, we need some wow. Show us the "Wow!".
that was one of the most awkward interviews i've seen in a while
two nerds talking to each other is always awkward.
hmmm.... I dunno. I get a feeling of low energy, a little bit of narcicism and narrowmindedness from this guy. I really hope I'm wrong but I'm skeptical of him as a CEO of Apple. I'd seriously love to see Jon Rubenstein back in action. I think that guy, despite the Palm Troubles, is a very energetic forward thinking and down to earth likable guy. This guy... feels like another stuffed suit just dodging questions prepapring to do the same ol same ol while stuffing his pockets. Again..... I hope I'm proven wrong as I want to se WebOS come back to be as formidable as it can be.
I thought he did well enough for a VP. Can he lead...who knows...should Steve Balmer ever been put in charge? :-) I thought the interview was very informative and offered way more then I was expecting. I thought printer ink pricing questions was interesting...especially since we moved to Kodak for color printing and now are back using HP Inkjet all-in-one, which by the way we love. I think webOS has a great opportunity in printers, tables, big screen TV, or otherwise. Their all over that webOS being the glue for all of their tech and I'm looking forward to what it provides different (perfect example replacing those terrible printer config menus).
I purchase tickets on Fandango through my Palm Pre and would love to turn on my printer and have them waiting for me to print so I'm ready to go. One step closer to action saving me valuable time....thank you Palm and HP!!! Also, how bout being able to load SD cards in my HP webOS printer (still sounds weird) and previewing, rotating images, cropping, and scaling and printing without ever touching my desktop. Another time saver I could see using when needed.
I also agree with many who say they don't even print anymore, but as a tech consultant most of my clients do print and print alot. Should be no surprise when it comes to the numbers he's quoting and last I checked Apple, HTC, Motorolla, and RIM don't make printers. HP will again own this market. Sorli...
wouldn't you rather have it send a bar code to your phone and get in to the movie with out any paper? they are doing that for airport check-in now. not sure where a piece of paper is a step forward for the movie industry.
the biggest problem I have with all this is that HP will sell 15 million with or without webOS, because the sell printers, not specifically because they run webOS.
I'm glad they are doing it, but it doesn't mean there will be a new section in the app catalog for printer apps.
yeah i agree. they will sell their printers anyways. I don't see this as a value add. I don't see a o.s. on a printer as something in demand.
I want the WebOS coffeemaker!