Signs of change: Palm webOS rebranding as HP webOS? 90
The adoption of Palm's brainchild into the HP family is apparently complete, with webOS taking on the family name. It's come to light on Palm's Developer Center, with webOS now prefaced by HP, as in "HP webOS," not "Palm webOS." Palm could not immediately be reached for comment.
Although Palm's identity has not been wiped from the slate (pun intended), and still operates independently under HP's huge golden umbrella, it seems that HP is taking some ownership of properties formerly under the Palm name. This could be an indication that HP plans to eventually phase out the Palm name, though we doubt that to be the case. It is debatable how wise a move that would be, considering the loyal Palm fan base still out there and the power of the Palm name. It raises questions about the value of Palm's brand.
HP has been vocal about their intent to use webOS on a variety of devices. It may just be easier to market those products under its own brand, e.g. smartphones falling under the Palm name, while printers, tablets, toasters, and other non-smartphone-like devices under HP. In which case, it'd be much easier to for HP to explain what's going on with the OS. An HP printer running Palm webOS just doesn't have the right ring to it. Then of course there's the proposition of HP's considerable brand power and the ability therein to elevate the strength of webOS in the marketplace.
Certainly webOS could grow a lot with HP power infused into it, but let's hope this does not mean that Palm will fade away into the sunset.
Source: Palm Developer Center; Thanks to Arthur for the tip!
90 Comments
This was a little painful when I first saw it. It doesn't have the right ring to it.
i thought the same thing at first, i mean exactly the way you said it, but then i realized i never called it Palm WebOS. i have always called it just WebOS. if the person had a confused look on their face i just said its the awesome new OS from Palm. they seemed to understand.
and if they did not understand i called Chuck Norris to come and explain it to them, the problem was by the time they figured it out, they were dead.
SORRY BUT I BOUGHT IT PARTIALLY FOR THE NAME.
Listen, I've been a loyal user of "Palm" products since 2001. A lot of why I bought the Palm Pre Plus was for the OS, but also the name of Palm. I like Palm bottom line. I don't like HP that much. I want a Palm branded product, and now that Palm will no longer exist I am already choosing to move on.
I'm not sure what I'll purchase next, but if it isn't called Palm I'm not interested.
I.E. You going to buy Air Jordan shoes without the name or Nike's name on them, and pay that price? Hell no.
You going to drop $45,000 on a car unless it says BMW. I didn't think so.
The name is a big part of it.
The phone will most probably (99.9% certain) be Palm-branded.
Also:
>> You going to drop $45,000 on a car unless it says BMW. I didn't think so.
Actually, I will. It is called a Dodge RAM 3500 truck. Didn't see that coming did you?
$45k goes a lot further with a lot of other makes. Why limit yourself to BMW unless you dont know cars and feel safe in the lemming line?
I just want them to release a new phone I don't really care what they call it.
You took the words right out of my mouth, oops I mean right off my fingertips. Get on with the business of releasing a phone!
Right!
Yeah we all know HP bought palm and for the people who have no idea will be more attracted to a HP branded phone. Lets face it Palm is a great name but was it really competing at the high end. It's time to move on with webos and start kicking ass and taking names with HP's backing.
They should market it as HP webOS powered by Palm.
"...introducing the HP Pre II Powered by Palm webOS."
That is how it should be >=/
Palm had a bad reputation with the last pair of phones released, its good they start over. Too bad for them I dont have a year to wait for them to get their shit together.
I know I will be glad when you move on and get your shit together. Grow up and find a mushroom patch to share your shitty attitude in. Remember, Big Brother is watching.....
That's a stupid ass comment to make. he's not alone in being pissed off at the wait for a new device, it's a year and a half since the Pre. Get your head out of your ass, and take a break yourself.
I also think this is good for HPalm in terms of gaining enterprise support. Many enterprise customers rely on HP for server/desktop/printers. If they can grab a hold of the enterprise mobile space from BBerry with a strong WebOS phone and market it as "use your HP phone to stay connected to your HP network", they might give BBerry a run for their money. I'd rather have a WebOS phone than a BBerry torch anyday no matter if it says HP or Palm...
I don't care too much about the name either, but to most people, name/branding/marketing are what makes or breaks products. Everyone knows HP, but hardly anyone knows Palm still exists.
When I got my Palm Pre, everyone I know asked, "Whoa, they still make new PalmPilots?"
Unfortunately HP made an even worse name with hand-helds. I know many people who'll say "I'll never buy a HP handl-held again."
I think they should just drop HP and Palm names altogether and just call it a WebOS device. Brand: WebOS
yeah just come out with a new phone already, whatever you wanna call it.
But to be honest, the Palm name has a negative connotation to it. It sounds real 90's or early 2000's. They could get rid of the Palm name forever, it'd be ok with me. I always hear about this loyal Palm fan base, but I never seen or heard of these ppl in real life. I suppose if you came up using the Palm Pilots to the Treo you'd be a Palm loyalist. That must be a slightly older generation than I interact with regularly or something. The only reason me or anyone I've known had a Treo was because Sprint phone selection sucked at the time, and it was one of the best phones Sprint had to offer, not because anyone thought Palm was a cool brand. Not to say they didn't make good products, but I never seen it as a highly thought of brand. The Pre helped win me over, but obviously not the masses, so I'm skeptical of the value the "Palm" brand has in 2010 and beyond.
The only reason you haven't heard of the Palm fan base is because they are highly intelligent and don't tend to associate with people who have a low IQ. They are very secure and don't have the need to piss on other peoples lifes such as yourself. Please break your phone and use a walky talky and you will be a much happier person.
Loyal Palm fan Raising hand.
its over
Palm died. Say your goodbyes & le it rest in peace. Move on people.
Yes lets move to a new site that turd heads can't use. Palm Lives forever whatever name it may have.
Anyone notice the HP website is giving away $50 gift cards toward app purchases with the already free Pre/Pre+ and Pixi/Pixi+. This is in addition to the $50 HP gift card you get. I dunno if they are still giving away touchstones as well,,but that quite a deal, they are begging you to take a Palm phone lol. Ive seen sales but this is a new record...
I have to admit, if you are not into having the latest or hottest smartphone that a great offer, esp on Sprint where you can upgrade in a yr.
Having the latest & hottest just shows how insecure you are. Having something that is functional, easy to use and supported by great people is where it's at.
Hey Dtone I heard Radio Shack is selling the new walkie talkies that play mp3's. Ya baby!
what age are you?? Five?? Get the fuck out of here, you're giving us all a bad name you dick. I bet the Pre is your first phone, let lone your first palm phone you little cock.
You already have a bad name and you are sooo easy to piss off. Hmm little dick? I bet your still waiting for flash so you can watch your pedophile porn. It simply amazes me how much rage several of you on here have. Your so easy to provoke. Do you run little old ladys off the road too! For crap sakes it's just a phone! Chill the heck out and tell the developers what you want. They can't magically pop this shit out give them time so you can have your preschool bragging rights of whos got the best toy. I've owned Palm products since 1994 and never felt the need to prove I have a bigger dick. How tall are you? You got that little mans complex? Grow up and join the Palm family a get some dignity. Biiiaaaatch!
Prediction:
HP branding for the OS: HP webOSHP + Palm branding for smartphones: HP Palm pre plusHP branding for printers with webOS: HP Photosmart eStationHP branding for slates: HP iPaq (hey, they have the name already, it's not their fault if some other company used a confusingly similar name for their tablet...)
Yes, but the confusingly similarly named tablet has more brand power and mind share. It would be best to avoid using ipaq branding for HP's tablet.
when do we get weboscentral.com - the future is now!
+1
This is good news in a way. It means sometime between the acquisition and now, HP has found new confidence in webOS. Why else would you want to claim ownership if it were'nt for bragging rights. Just a guess.
::EDIT:: ...either that or Palms name really does have a bad connotation. I know personally before I saw webOS, I thought Palm was a lousy business phone even though I never used one.
Hurd said on Day 1, WebOS was the reason for the purchase. So, it never made sense to "third party" the heart of new products by dragging the Palm name around, if WebOS was going to be the heart of hardware across HP product mix. We never expected Palm to make laptops, desktops or printers, so linking WebOS to HP was the right move. Palm can still use WebOS name and HP can make that the link in public.
Palm Peralta featuring HP WebOS.
*cry*
Hi all,
I have maintained from the beginning that HP/Palm would use the force of HP's size and $ to make sure there were tons of apps, coming out of the pipeline. We are just seeing the beginning of the titlewave....Take care, Jay
I'm with you on that.
awww palm :/
I would actually prefer that HP put their name an all of the new webOS hardware, including phones. Lets face it, they will move more units that way. HP is a familiar brand. If it means moving more units, I don't care what name is attached to webOS.
I see a shift in phone marketing. Used to be brand was everything, now it's the OS. Could it be that linking webOS to two brands might give it some legs? An HP business line of smartphones running webOS and consumer Palm phones running webOS. More branding without having to license it outside the company. If you love webOS you should want it on as many brands and devices as possible, that will bring on developers and more apps.
NOOO!, This is bad news, Palm is a good name, a historic name, sure they've been forgotten about a bit recently but they are the original smart phone creator
HP may be the biggest name in electronics but when it comes to phones they have been rubbish, hell they've laptops have been rubbish up till the envy series
While it does make some degree of sense to rebrand it as its going on toasters but WebOS is Palm, not HP, Palm, and I really hope to see Palm phones and Palm tablets soon, it will be a sad day when Palm dies and I really hope this isnt it.
When Palm/EP turned their backs on their existing, loyal client base, Palm/Handspring died. Whether HP lets the Palm name live on is pretty immaterial. The important thing is to develop WebOS and exploit the headstart they have already over other OS's. If HP doesnt want to do phones, or wants to wait longer than "soon", life goes on. Settle for droid or WinPro until Meego takes shape and becomes complete.
Currntly eyeing My Touch 2. Yes, somewhat outdated for UI, but a fully capable device with all the abilities I need, without selling my soul to an advertising company.
deleted double post. Now I see how that happens! I always wondered....
Even though HP has stated on numerous occasions that Palm will remain it's own company, allowed to follow it's planned road map, articles like this keep appearing. I guess they just like to stir it up in here. If HP is putting their resources (engineering and money) into developing webOS to be able to grow with future hardware, why can't they put their name on it. When considering the bleak future of Palm just a few months ago, how can anyone complain about minor things like this? Me, they can put any title ahead of webOS that they want because the web is the future and webOS is right there to take all of us into it.
I agree. WebOS=Palm. I like the idea of calling mobile items "PalmPilot". PalmPilots are original and people eaqaute a PalmPilot with PDA's. Which esentially is what smartphones are now. Technology evolution, I suppose. Our next phone should be retro and be called an "hp PalmPilot". And we should call the tablet "PalmPilot HD".
It's sad to see the palm name go away but its good to see hp put their name in front of WebOS . To me, that says alot. All of us that visit this site will always know the roots of the hp phone. Palm as a brand was ok, but we love and use our phones for the operating system, and with Ruby positioned where he is, we should continue to see features that we are accoustomed to as well as look forward to. Its time for the rest of the cell phone sheep out there to see what WebOS is all about, and hp can deliver that.
Calling it a Palm Pilot is going to bring back memories of the days when Palm was sued by Pilot Pen Corp. because the use of the stylus was too close to an actual pen, thus violating trademarks. While a phone without a stylus using that name might fly (depending on the settlement agreement signed by the two companies), a slate form-factor with a stylus (as has been rumored and many of us are hoping for) and that name would absolutely draw another lawsuit, and possibly an irritatingly-large settlement and/or judgment.
sad, but sometimes mothers die while giving birth. lets hope the little webOS baby grows up and makes us proud.
I doubt "Palm" will be many more devices. I don't see HP making many "Palm" smartphones. Maybe the next one, maybe; but I think they will be "HP" smartphones after that.
Yes, a slow integration is highly probable. Webos is the future so lets all be proud pioneers.
I just want them to bring out a new phone. It's WebOS, name change doesn't affect it.
Doesn't really matter to me, although my stomach turned up inside a bit.
But when we see the killer hardware from HP, and a revamped webOS with developpers flocking back to the platform, it won't really be an issue.
They will keep the Palm name, I'm not worried about it. If anything I am expecting to see the first real Palm device in over 5 years come out in 2011, i.e. a large screen slate, successor to the T3 and TX.
Let's face it, Palm died after the Treo and Centro. When Elevation Partners infused cash into Palm, they really made it into a different company, building on the brand name. Even Roger McNamee said so himself.
This is just another reinvention for Palm. They were bought by the right company, it's obvious. Others would have kept the IP and thrown away the OS. In ten years from now I am expecting business class laptops from HP running a beefed up version of webOS.
Let's face it. Palm was not the next Apple. It was the next NEXT. Palm has infiltrated HP. HP will become a huge Palm. This is actually amazing for the platform.
We'll be fine, guys, we'll be fine.
Sigh...
I think this is a bad move ...
As much as I think Palm is a neat name, my brother and my father both laughed at me when I encouraged them to consider Palm...my father (a blackberry addict) said he was surprised they still existed and said he used them "back in the olden days."
The point is: maybe WebOS (and even the smartphones themselves?) would benefit from a rebrand.
That's funny, every month Blackberry loses ground to the other phone manufacturers and there OS is definitely from the "olden days".
When a big change is in the making, like the 57% of BB users who would switch, there are still the 43% who don't see it coming.
I'm glad to see that HP is so concerned about releasing new products and ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING instead of just playing games that really don't matter.
Pretty glad I'm out of this mess.
Maybe people will not associate WebOS with that silly palm pre ad anymore. WebOS was the reason why I/we bought the pre, as long as HP doesnt screw that up i dont care what they call it
I, like many others here, have used Palm devices for a long time. I had a brief fling with winmo, but came back quickly. With that said, it dowsn't phase me one bit that HP is losing the Palm brand. As long as they go "all in" with smartphones and not just printers & such. I'm aching for a new phone. My boss just got an evo and I can't wait to one up him!
You're headed for a huge disappointment. HP is only interested in WebOS for other things. Smartphones is not one of them.
And you're basing that observation on...........?
Intelligence/logic/reading between the lines.
What they've been doing and what they've been saying.
When a company says "...there's no date set for a new smartphone so please stop asking.."
It's CLEARLY not their priority.
If a phone beats the other products to market, we'll see what your intelligence/logic/read-between the lines is worth.
When a company says "there's no date set for a new smartphone so please stop asking..." they might be trying to avoid devaluing surplus inventory.
It is clear to me, the phone is a stepping stone device, we know we need wireless phones. The market prefers exposure to the phone before adopting a slate device on an unproven OS.
Time will tell.
I don't care what they call it as long as HP doesn't screw up webOS. If they can beef it up and put it on fantastic hardware I will buy it. By the way HP while you're rebranding, why don't you release the next webOS smartphone. My Sprint Palm Pre is almost on life support. Power button is shot, too many cards thing happens with Precentral, webosround up, and bad kitty open. And that's just after restarting phone. Come on HPalm, I've been eligible for an upgrade form many moons now.
Frankly, I think the webOS brand itself, the name I mean, is a dog, the web is a commodity, how can it inspire value? I think the marketers can come up with something better, the main thing is getting the branding right so that it sells, I can remember my geeky palm roots just fine, even if no one else did. Just get us some good equipment HP.
Palm "anything" powered by HP WebOS...
is ok by me...
HP WebOS will power not only phones but printers, tablets, scanners and a slew of other existing and future products...
Long live WebOS!!!
Everyone calm down. The reason HP took over webOS branding is obviously because webOS will be used on many devices in HP's portfolio. HP has already said it will be on printers, tablets and smartphones, so obviously the printers will be HP printers, the smartphones will be Palm phones, and the tablets could be Palm tablets. If they put it on laptops they will be HP laptops most likely. WebOS is now an HP product (initially developed by Palm), so it makes since to say "HP webOS." This is no indication that the Palm name will disappear from future devices, it's just a change that was made to reflect the OS transcending Palm-only devices.
It was nice knowing you Palm!
Don't let the door hit you in the ass!
I think it is a bit obvious that they will put HP in front of WebOS and most all devices made. Hopefully they will keep Palm on the smartphones, but if not, as long as they have WebOS and keep the ideas flowing...........
A bit (a lot) off topic... what is up with the App Catalog??? For like a week I had errors one after another. Trying to view an app in the App catalog it would keep coming up with errors something like "error, try again later" and "this is not a WebOS App". These errors seem fixed, but now the Basket button for viewing your application updates is broken. It gives the message "The action could not be completed. Try again later." This has been for 2-3 days on every Sprint Palm Pre I have tried and one Verizon Palm Pre Plus.
Seems like by now we would have an article on this sight about that. Palm need to get this fixed.
I think keeping the "Palm" name on smartphones make sense. You're gonna be holding it in the palm of your hand anyway. They could market it as "Palm Phone featuring HP WebOS".
I also have noticed those errors on my Sprint Pre. Used to be every once in a while you get those errors, and reloading the page you were trying to access eventually solved the problem, but now the Basket won't load. I can't update my apps!
I can't load up the Basket anymore either. Have not been able to get updates without scrolling through the current releases. Annoying. I am going to leave feedback.
http://www.palm.com/us/company/feedback.html
I have tracked down 2-3 feeds and it looks like Palm is aware of the issue and may be fixing it. It may be related to a change they made on their servers causing their servers to get hung up on the homebrew app ID's.
I agree with previous poster who said HP needs to position webOS as the universal platform to compete with Android and use the HP brand for business class devices and Palm brand for consumer class devices. Anything with "powered by HP webOS" will start to be more compelling.
The blind leading the blind...with Palm having a bad rep with its lastest phones to hp with no real rep for building them...a recipe for disaster.
Maybe it's just "webOS" and when used in Palm products it is described as "Palm webOS", but in HP devices it is "HP webOS". Well that's what I'd do if it were up to me.
dear palm or HP or wattever or whoever you are,
I know that making names for phones and stuff is really hard? But I really think it's time you guys make a phone.
sincerely,
PalmPrePitStop
If I had bought WebOS, it would be named after me, too!
That being said, it makes more sense to have it platform independent if it is intended for different platforms.
I am currently typing this on a HP Compaq laptop. I suspect my next phone will be an HP Palm Pro (or whatever the model name is). When I use the tool, I don't care what the name is.
Of course, sentimentally, I have had Palm's to rely on all through my medical career, so I kind of have a soft spot for the little buggers. Patients expect to see me checking their medicine interactions and doses, or looking for latest updates on their conditions on a fancy little "Palm computer" as I tell them it is called. So keeping the Palm name for another 20 years or so in some form or fashion would be nice. Then we could retire together!
I think HP WebOS would be perfectly understandable for HP branded products like Printers, Netbooks or Slates. But on smartphones!? Seriously, HP has the worst reputation in the smartphone arena then does Palm. Whose ever owned an iPaq? I've never met anyone with an HP Smartphone before. Steve Jobs recently emphasized the greatness of Palm. Palm clearly has a world wide recognition. HP branded phones with HP WebOS would be a flop. Palm branded phones with HP WebOS wouldn't sound right. So it only makes sense to keep Palm products branded as Palm with WebOS.
Hmm I don`t mind the HP name on my device as long as it is a good device. Now I just want HP to come out with a killer device in terms of spec and show the world what WebOS can do. I would proudly say.. Hey I have an HP "whatever"
mmmmmmmmmm......
I didn't take the time to read all the comments (or article :) ) but why not jus call it WebOS. Or WebOS brought to you by. Just doesn't sound the same. Oh well! I just want the nex gen. I know it's going to rock. P.S I hope they incorporate some kind of widget mode for when app is in card view. Just an idea I had hopefully you good poeple at palm thought of it too. If not just find me and I can explain more. Put them android pople to shame. Just another option for data on demand your just glancing through you open apps.
I don't care. webOS is cool and has to grow. If they make it HP webOS fine. That only means they put it in every possible machine. Which might lead to a serious new system all over. If the phones are called HP/Palm or whatever I don't care. I bought a Palm because of WebOS. And the design of the pre is perfect for my needs.
I already own a palm and I am pround about it.
Next? HP/Palm slate? HP/Palm roadrunner( double core, HD-Video, Zoom, Office perfect - phone)?
I am curious and glad not HTC bought palm ... I don't like their shitty hardware...and Apple, pheewww that systems sucks balls...it's not even a phone.
Bring it on.
I love hp bye palm
the only reason I'm still using this junk of a phone (Sprint pre) is because of webOS. So really, I don't care if the palm name is kept.
HP is the 9th most known global brand in the recent study by Interbrand http://www.interbrand.com/en/knowledge/best-global-brands/best-global-br...
HP bought 3COM and EDS and retired their brands. EDS was a 14 Billion dollar deal...not 1.2 Billion.
Open up a Best Buy ad and see how many HP products are on the front page. The HP brand and distribution channel is very strong. They are not going to use it to sell another brand. When HP releases a new phone...they will not be a Sprint exclusive. Also, most people are not aware that HP ever did phones. So is it better to use the strong HP brand or a weak Palm? No brainer..
the Palm name will die and The HP brand will be the defacto brand. Does anyone see Compaq servers?
We might see a Palm brand name come out of HP Pre/webos/slate/printer but Palm as the smartphone brand is dead
That's business.
I read some stupid comment that made me laugh...somebody typed that they only bought the palm pre phone because it was made by PALM (then I guess you'll buy a palm product even if it is super expensive). its the same stupidity that some iphone fans do, they buy the phone because of the brand. I bought my pre because I like its OS and because at that time it was the best phone that sprint had(not only because it was made by palm). HP has a better reputation so this change is gonna help.
unfortunately HP does not have a good name in hand-helds. Their history for this lineup was not good. I know many people who will not buy another HP hand held device. Either way, Palm/HP, it's going to be an uphill battle for them. They should just start using WebOS as the name instead of HP/Palm.
I was told today by a sprint rep who 'just talked to his Palm rep the other day' that Palm will not be putting out another phone till next year & as it looks it also will not be on Sprint! If that's true what a slap in th face to Sprint.
I was told today by a sprint rep who 'just talked to his Palm rep the other day' that Palm will not be putting out another phone till next year & as it looks it also will not be on Sprint! If that's true what a slap in th face to Sprint.
I'm not particularly concerned about HP/Palm producing a new phone, as I've got a year to go on my contract with AT&T. I just want Web OS2.0. As for HP using their own name to Identify WebOS, it's likely to do more for the brand than Palm did.
I wonder how H/Palm will handle the issue of the "Palm Profile" and apps purchased from the App Catalog when users are running webOS on multiple devices/platforms. Currently we have just phones and the "Palm Profile" only allows you to have one device active at a time. When your phone is replaced, it'll download your paid apps to the new phone from the profile. Now suppose you have a PalmPad too? Would you still be able to access your Palm Profile from that device and share your paid apps across devices? Or would it require a separate profile and its own backups? I would hope that if you buy an app on one webOS device, you'd also be able to use it on another webOS device that you bought.