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HP to Aquire Palm for 1.2 Billion
- Thread starter doggish_098
- Start date
They pulled back last week probably due to the deal they struck with Microsoft being in the works.HP
awwwwwwwwwww man
what happened to HTC grabbing them?
damn!
The MS deal won't help them with Apple and was to protect them from the probably pending lawsuits MS has with Android. Too many people have passed on the purchase so they likely need a large company that can absorb all the crap while they get their act together. If HTC purchased it probably would have been a major weight on them even if it later turned out good.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
Apple can now go suck a huge dick (no homo). HP has more money to blow than they'll ever have. Think about WebOs Tablets. HP better go take over the hardware department. Good to see Ruby is gonna stay with the company.
Divine, how about them apples?
I know i never actually acknowledged you, but today is the day i will officially aknowledge you and the way your "apple" ways lol. No beef, im just saying! Hey Divine, you have to admit that Palm (HP Palm...HPP) is now going somewhere right?
Apple can now go suck a huge dick (no homo). HP has more money to blow than they'll ever have. Think about WebOs Tablets. HP better go take over the hardware department. Good to see Ruby is gonna stay with the company.
Divine, how about them apples?
I know i never actually acknowledged you, but today is the day i will officially aknowledge you and the way your "apple" ways lol. No beef, im just saying! Hey Divine, you have to admit that Palm (HP Palm...HPP) is now going somewhere right?
First before you go dumping on Apple, HP has got a lot of work to do. if they decide to develope a new Palm/Hp mobile phone it's gonna have to be better than the phones currently in develoopement. Nokia, HTC and Dell have killer phones due to come out this Summer. Apple has a new one too. That means HP has to get a !gig or better processer, more memory, a big camera 8 to 12 megapixels, and a new form factor, not to mention speech. Also they might decide to move WEBOS to the Slate. Even still they have a tall order to fill with relationships with web locaton services...IE Google, Bing or Yahoo. They got to spend a lot of money on Advertising, and development to get Palms devices moving. let's wait and see what happens. Apple already has a huge market share and Andriod this #2, Nokia announced their new phone too...the market is kinda crowded.
Uh. Apple's been bigger than HP by terms of market cap since 2007. HP is around $125 billion, and Apple is $238 billion currently. As far as Cash. HP had around 14 billion as of December. Apple got around 40 billion currently. That's why everyone speculated on them buying ARM or some other major chipmaker. They are getting like Microsoft was 10 years ago Everyone wondering what they are waiting on buying.
Ok. Where in the world are you getting these annual stats from? There's no way Apple could have gained such an incredible margin on HP in such short period of time. HP has being in the game for a really longtime. Dont forget that HP also owns Compaq, a major laptop making company and also 3Com. Im pretty sure HP is worth lots more than Apple.
I wasn't commenting on assets on who's actually is bigger. But the fact remains that if you think that HP is going to win on cash alone, you are sadly mistaken. And come to think about it, Palm still has a major issue since they have lost a lot of key engineers during the shuffle. Hopefully it was just shuffling before the paperwork was signed, or they will decide to come back or otherwise they are still going to be in a tight spot for a bit.
web os on a hp slate would fk up an ipad... wonder what kinda phones they gonna drop...
Yes, understandable. But you have to understand that money and a new interest due to the fact that Palm isn't going "tank bottom" anymore, is enough to make those engineers comeback. I understand your point of view. Money indeed isn't everything, but in the world of technology, money goes a long way. All the Pre needs is a better hardware and mind boggling specs and watch all the members on BGOL start dumping their iPhones for a Pre 2 or whatever HP decides to call it after July 31st. HP promising to keep WebOs engineering crew intact too. From what i read, they are basically funneling money and guidance into this cause, which is a win win because all Palm actually needed was a regular paycheck.
It would fuck up slates running Android too
i think hp is gonna intergrate web os' look into all their slates and release a just web os as well....i might cop the web os one just for a different experience...
It would fuck up slates running Android too
HP didn't learn from that compaq deal. I swear those folks know how to take an average idea and ruin it. First they overpaid by 10 cents.
Dell just killed themselves again.
Dell just killed themselves again.
My mind was telling me to but fucking Palm shares.....
Would have made some bank on this rumor
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somebody just made another thread about the same topic
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/hp-buys-palm/
HP has just announced that it's acquiring Palm to the tune of $1.2 billion, which works out to $5.70 per share of Palm common stock. The deal is planned to close by July 31, which marks the end of HP's third fiscal quarter of the year. Current Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein is "expected to remain with the company," though it's not said in what capacity. Press release after the break. There'll be a call to discuss the acquisition in more detail (well, we hope in more detail) at 5PM ET, so we'll keep you abreast as we learn more.
HP: 'We're doubling down on webOS,' Palm: 'That was the whole point'
We just spoke with both Brian Humphries, HP's Senior VP of Strategy and Corporate Development, and Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, and came away with a pretty positive picture for the future of Palm. The money quote is that HP plans to be "doubling down on webOS," and that was confirmed in speaking with Palm's honcho, who says that "that was the whole point." Not only that, but we've confirmed on both ends that Jon will be staying on with the company, along with much of the existing Palm hierarchy. There are plenty of transition details to work out, but Jon says there will be lots of time for all that during regulatory and shareholder approval. The word is that Palm's existing hardware roadmap is basically untouched at this point by this acquisition, but the good news on the HP end of things is that the company sees webOS as a "prized asset," and they intend to "scale it across multiple connected devices." That sounds like tablets to us, and HP didn't beat back that assumption. On the Palm hardware end, Jon is very fond of saying "scale," referring to the money and manufacturing resources at HP's disposal, but he also says that he sees Palm working hand in hand with HP on devices. One point that both companies were less clear on was the Palm branding itself -- you know, whether Palm will stay Palm. Both Brian and Jon said those kinds of details would be worked out as the acquisition went forward, but offered no concrete comment on it otherwise.
Money-wise we asked if Jon thought HP could provide the sort of "ammunition" to beat Apple, Google, and Microsoft at their own mobile game, and Jon says "I don't think HP would do this unless they were willing to make the kind of investment necessary to win." HP calls webOS a "compelling operating system," but that Palm didn't have the money to compete and "scale it across multiple form factors," and that it's exactly HP's financial wherewithal, brand, and corporate culture that it brings to the table. HP and Palm won't comment specifically on the forthcoming device roadmap, but HP did confirm that it had tested the platform "to make sure it scales." They keep saying "scale," but all we're hearing is "tablet."
HP Buys Palm: How It Changes Everything
Rejoice: HP is buying Palm! If the boring beigeness of HP doesn't kill it in the process, this could only be good for anyone looking for a neat solid smartphone that beats Google and Apple in many areas.
What Happened
After a precipitous decline in Palm's business and several weeks of speculation, HP announced today that they're acquiring the beleaguered phone company for $1.2 billion. Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein will remain with the company, though it's not clear in what capacity.
The announcement comes as a huge surprise, after rumors had linked everyone from HTC to Lenovo as possible suitors, and after Rubinstein insisted that they'd be fine on their own. For Palm, it's the lifeboat they've desperately needed ever since their stock price was targeted at zero earlier this year. For HP, it's an opportunity to instantly become an major smartphone player.
It's also a relative bargain for HP; the purchase price of $5.70 is a decent premium over where Palm was trading yesterday, but this is a company that was valued at twice that not very long ago. And HP's not just acquiring Palm's hardware; the real crown jewel here is webOS, which HP SVP Todd Bradley made a point of saying could apply to a number of mobile devices.
Why, though, not just develop with Android, or Windows Phone 7? Palm's webOS might be a robust platform, but its lacking a robust developer community—its 2,000 apps pale in comparison to what the Apple App Store and Android Market offer. The answer is that HP's hedging: they'll continue to work with other platforms, while hoping that their scale will help ramp-up dev interest in broadening the webOS ecosystem.
The deal is expected to close by July 31, the end of HP's third fiscal quarter. As for when we'll actually start seeing webOS in Palm products, HP's being mum. It's reasonable to expect we won't hear anything more official until the transaction is complete.
Worst Case Scenario
The real challenge might come in reconciling the brand personalities. Palm's products, regardless of how well they've sold, have always been innovative—the Pre was a breath of fresh air when it was released. HP, on the other hand, has tended to paint in broad beige strokes. And their products that do stand out, like the Envy laptop, have come across as derivative. There's also the unfortunate case of iPaq—another HP acquisition that was left to rot.
So will Palm fuel HP's creative capabilities? Or will HP stifle the ingenuity that's made Palm worth buying in the first place?
Best Case Scenario
HP has the resources to fully leverage Palm's software and hardware, and not just on smartphones. And while Palm's problem was never that it couldn't keep up with demand, its main issue—generating demand in the first place—is no longer a problem with HP's reach and marketing budget. HP's made a significant investment thus far in their TouchSmart interface, and while it's a fine skin it can only stand to gain from webOS insights. Can you say webOS tablet?
What May Happen
We won't get any specific, official information on HP's plans for Palm until after the deal is complete, but there are some very clear paths they can (and probably will) take:
Phones
Whither the iPaq? Ha, who cares! It's doubtful that HP would spend this kind of money on an established brand like Palm just to murder it in service of a flimsy brand like iPaq. HP's phone line has always been undistinguished, so for them to buy Palm is effectively to install a pre-made, well-regarded mobile division into their company. So, what does this mean in terms of actual phones?
There will probably be another generation of webOS phones. Yesterday, I wouldn't have felt certain about this; today, it's a good bet. Palm was living and dying by the Pre and Pixi, which were first-gen products running a first-gen operating system. HP's massive resources will give the OS the kind of time it needs to spread its wings on time-appropriate hardware. Imagine a webOS phone with WVGA resolution; with a Snapdragon processor; with a genuinely responsive interface. That's what we're talking about here. Forget the Pre Plus—it's time to start waiting for the Pre II.
The only awkward point here is that HP is an official partner with Microsoft for Windows Phone 7. They've committed to continue working with Windows Phone 7, although one might imagine that their interest in Microsoft's platform diminishes significantly now that they've got their own in-house mobile operating system.
Computers
With this purchase comes a wealth of intellectual property (patents) spanning decades, much of which concerns touch interfaces. HP has been very, very aggressive in developing touch interfaces for Windows machines with its TouchSmart line, and could easily incorporate some of Palm's mobile tricks into its software. By and large, though, HP's expansive computer lineup will remain unchanged.
Tablets
HP's tablet strategy is heading in a dangerous direction. The anticipated HP Slate runs Windows 7, a desktop OS, while much of the rest of the industry seems to have opted for mobile OSes. HP hasn't shown a ton of interest in Android in the past, and their tablet plans have so far ignored Google's OS—the presumed competitors to the iPad's iPhone-based OS. Which brings me to what is quite possibly the most exciting possibility here: The webOS tablet.
No, seriously—think about it. WebOS has a more intuitive interface than Android, and better notification system than anyone else, and prodigious social networking abilities. It has a fair amount of apps. It's compatible with the same mobile hardware that's powering many of the first wave of Android tablets. This—this—would be awesome.
Winners and Losers
We'll have a lot of time to see how this plays out in the long run, but for now it's pretty clear who's gaining the most from this scenario—and who's not. The winners: Palm, who gets the white knight they've been praying for. Consumers, who get the dual benefits of a healthy, broadly supported webOS and increased competition, generally. And developers, who will have another viable platform on which to showcase their goods.
The losers, predictably, end up being pretty much every other company with a smartphone OS. Microsoft, though, must be feeling the blow in particular. While HP will continue to make Windows Phone 7 products, they've gone from being a key partner to a serious competitor in a single afternoon.
HP has just announced that it's acquiring Palm to the tune of $1.2 billion, which works out to $5.70 per share of Palm common stock. The deal is planned to close by July 31, which marks the end of HP's third fiscal quarter of the year. Current Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein is "expected to remain with the company," though it's not said in what capacity. Press release after the break. There'll be a call to discuss the acquisition in more detail (well, we hope in more detail) at 5PM ET, so we'll keep you abreast as we learn more.
HP: 'We're doubling down on webOS,' Palm: 'That was the whole point'
We just spoke with both Brian Humphries, HP's Senior VP of Strategy and Corporate Development, and Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, and came away with a pretty positive picture for the future of Palm. The money quote is that HP plans to be "doubling down on webOS," and that was confirmed in speaking with Palm's honcho, who says that "that was the whole point." Not only that, but we've confirmed on both ends that Jon will be staying on with the company, along with much of the existing Palm hierarchy. There are plenty of transition details to work out, but Jon says there will be lots of time for all that during regulatory and shareholder approval. The word is that Palm's existing hardware roadmap is basically untouched at this point by this acquisition, but the good news on the HP end of things is that the company sees webOS as a "prized asset," and they intend to "scale it across multiple connected devices." That sounds like tablets to us, and HP didn't beat back that assumption. On the Palm hardware end, Jon is very fond of saying "scale," referring to the money and manufacturing resources at HP's disposal, but he also says that he sees Palm working hand in hand with HP on devices. One point that both companies were less clear on was the Palm branding itself -- you know, whether Palm will stay Palm. Both Brian and Jon said those kinds of details would be worked out as the acquisition went forward, but offered no concrete comment on it otherwise.
Money-wise we asked if Jon thought HP could provide the sort of "ammunition" to beat Apple, Google, and Microsoft at their own mobile game, and Jon says "I don't think HP would do this unless they were willing to make the kind of investment necessary to win." HP calls webOS a "compelling operating system," but that Palm didn't have the money to compete and "scale it across multiple form factors," and that it's exactly HP's financial wherewithal, brand, and corporate culture that it brings to the table. HP and Palm won't comment specifically on the forthcoming device roadmap, but HP did confirm that it had tested the platform "to make sure it scales." They keep saying "scale," but all we're hearing is "tablet."
HP Buys Palm: How It Changes Everything
Rejoice: HP is buying Palm! If the boring beigeness of HP doesn't kill it in the process, this could only be good for anyone looking for a neat solid smartphone that beats Google and Apple in many areas.
What Happened
After a precipitous decline in Palm's business and several weeks of speculation, HP announced today that they're acquiring the beleaguered phone company for $1.2 billion. Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein will remain with the company, though it's not clear in what capacity.
The announcement comes as a huge surprise, after rumors had linked everyone from HTC to Lenovo as possible suitors, and after Rubinstein insisted that they'd be fine on their own. For Palm, it's the lifeboat they've desperately needed ever since their stock price was targeted at zero earlier this year. For HP, it's an opportunity to instantly become an major smartphone player.
It's also a relative bargain for HP; the purchase price of $5.70 is a decent premium over where Palm was trading yesterday, but this is a company that was valued at twice that not very long ago. And HP's not just acquiring Palm's hardware; the real crown jewel here is webOS, which HP SVP Todd Bradley made a point of saying could apply to a number of mobile devices.
Why, though, not just develop with Android, or Windows Phone 7? Palm's webOS might be a robust platform, but its lacking a robust developer community—its 2,000 apps pale in comparison to what the Apple App Store and Android Market offer. The answer is that HP's hedging: they'll continue to work with other platforms, while hoping that their scale will help ramp-up dev interest in broadening the webOS ecosystem.
The deal is expected to close by July 31, the end of HP's third fiscal quarter. As for when we'll actually start seeing webOS in Palm products, HP's being mum. It's reasonable to expect we won't hear anything more official until the transaction is complete.
Worst Case Scenario
The real challenge might come in reconciling the brand personalities. Palm's products, regardless of how well they've sold, have always been innovative—the Pre was a breath of fresh air when it was released. HP, on the other hand, has tended to paint in broad beige strokes. And their products that do stand out, like the Envy laptop, have come across as derivative. There's also the unfortunate case of iPaq—another HP acquisition that was left to rot.
So will Palm fuel HP's creative capabilities? Or will HP stifle the ingenuity that's made Palm worth buying in the first place?
Best Case Scenario
HP has the resources to fully leverage Palm's software and hardware, and not just on smartphones. And while Palm's problem was never that it couldn't keep up with demand, its main issue—generating demand in the first place—is no longer a problem with HP's reach and marketing budget. HP's made a significant investment thus far in their TouchSmart interface, and while it's a fine skin it can only stand to gain from webOS insights. Can you say webOS tablet?
What May Happen
We won't get any specific, official information on HP's plans for Palm until after the deal is complete, but there are some very clear paths they can (and probably will) take:
Phones
Whither the iPaq? Ha, who cares! It's doubtful that HP would spend this kind of money on an established brand like Palm just to murder it in service of a flimsy brand like iPaq. HP's phone line has always been undistinguished, so for them to buy Palm is effectively to install a pre-made, well-regarded mobile division into their company. So, what does this mean in terms of actual phones?
There will probably be another generation of webOS phones. Yesterday, I wouldn't have felt certain about this; today, it's a good bet. Palm was living and dying by the Pre and Pixi, which were first-gen products running a first-gen operating system. HP's massive resources will give the OS the kind of time it needs to spread its wings on time-appropriate hardware. Imagine a webOS phone with WVGA resolution; with a Snapdragon processor; with a genuinely responsive interface. That's what we're talking about here. Forget the Pre Plus—it's time to start waiting for the Pre II.
The only awkward point here is that HP is an official partner with Microsoft for Windows Phone 7. They've committed to continue working with Windows Phone 7, although one might imagine that their interest in Microsoft's platform diminishes significantly now that they've got their own in-house mobile operating system.
Computers
With this purchase comes a wealth of intellectual property (patents) spanning decades, much of which concerns touch interfaces. HP has been very, very aggressive in developing touch interfaces for Windows machines with its TouchSmart line, and could easily incorporate some of Palm's mobile tricks into its software. By and large, though, HP's expansive computer lineup will remain unchanged.
Tablets
HP's tablet strategy is heading in a dangerous direction. The anticipated HP Slate runs Windows 7, a desktop OS, while much of the rest of the industry seems to have opted for mobile OSes. HP hasn't shown a ton of interest in Android in the past, and their tablet plans have so far ignored Google's OS—the presumed competitors to the iPad's iPhone-based OS. Which brings me to what is quite possibly the most exciting possibility here: The webOS tablet.
No, seriously—think about it. WebOS has a more intuitive interface than Android, and better notification system than anyone else, and prodigious social networking abilities. It has a fair amount of apps. It's compatible with the same mobile hardware that's powering many of the first wave of Android tablets. This—this—would be awesome.
Winners and Losers
We'll have a lot of time to see how this plays out in the long run, but for now it's pretty clear who's gaining the most from this scenario—and who's not. The winners: Palm, who gets the white knight they've been praying for. Consumers, who get the dual benefits of a healthy, broadly supported webOS and increased competition, generally. And developers, who will have another viable platform on which to showcase their goods.
The losers, predictably, end up being pretty much every other company with a smartphone OS. Microsoft, though, must be feeling the blow in particular. While HP will continue to make Windows Phone 7 products, they've gone from being a key partner to a serious competitor in a single afternoon.
The compaq situation wasn't a bad idea. It was just an expensive mistep. If I was them ill redo the deal in a heartbeat.
I sorta like this idea because I think the idea of a desktop operating system is a dying idea. Now that they have a mobile os that has tons of good things about it they can cherry pick the good stuff and launch a product within 6 months after completion.
I sorta like this idea because I think the idea of a desktop operating system is a dying idea. Now that they have a mobile os that has tons of good things about it they can cherry pick the good stuff and launch a product within 6 months after completion.
Isnt part of the problem with differentiation in the mobile market that outside of Apple, Microsoft and Nokia, there really isnt any? If 90% of the phones in the market run Snapdragon procs and use Tegra for video, where's the advancement? Its simply a rehash of a commoditized PC market. It then moves from a point where quality in execution and delivery take a back seat to specs and how much shit you can push, ie Dell, eMachines, Gateway, Acer. They dont spend much on R&D, just on pushing commodity hardware as fast as they can. Is that what you want on a device that you will spend 90% of your day/life with?
hERE'S A LINK ON THE WISH LIST OF PRODUCTS THAT COULD COME FROM WEBOS.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/28/the-top-5-hp-products-we-would-like-to-see-post-palm-buyout/
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/28/the-top-5-hp-products-we-would-like-to-see-post-palm-buyout/
Cool beans.
Hopefully we get a WebOS tablet and a phone with competitive hardware soon.
Hopefully we get a WebOS tablet and a phone with competitive hardware soon.
How many of you guys on here talking all this anti Apple shit, ACTUALLY OWN A PRE?? I mean, I'm hopeful HP will come with some nice products as a result of this (its just gonna result in Apple making better products), but all this iPad Killer talk??? Yall were saying the same shit when the Palm Pre was introduced...
How many of you guys on here talking all this anti Apple shit, ACTUALLY OWN A PRE?? I mean, I'm hopeful HP will come with some nice products as a result of this (its just gonna result in Apple making better products), but all this iPad Killer talk??? Yall were saying the same shit when the Palm Pre was introduced...
i own an hp printer connected to my mac computers and over the life of the printer i probably spent more on ink than the computer cost.
How many of you guys on here talking all this anti Apple shit, ACTUALLY OWN A PRE?? I mean, I'm hopeful HP will come with some nice products as a result of this (its just gonna result in Apple making better products), but all this iPad Killer talk??? Yall were saying the same shit when the Palm Pre was introduced...
I GOT A PRE and I love it...but there is much to be concedered when buying a palm pre.
A palm pre is just a second tier smartphone without preware. The Pre handset is showing it's age very much. it won't hold up in sales this summer with the new phones comming out. Palm really needs not only a new handset but better web integration. No phone is an iPhone killer. The iPhone has more marketshare than any mobile phone manufacturer. The issue is choice. WEBOS is a great operating system for the mobile market, it should have as much market share as Apple, Google or Microsoft, it's that good. The problems Palm has had has been with bad engineering of the Pre & Pixi handsets, and bad marketing not only by Palm but Sprint and Verizon. It's not about what phone is a killer of what other phone but that consumers can have as a choice. I feel that The Pre has a better operating system than the iPhone but palm gets no love from other WEB venders IE Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, the makers of Opera mini etc. Apple on the other hand gets all the love because developers know that their apps will sell to a larger market. Take Flash for example...I've seen the demos for webos and it runs better, yet Andriod gets Flash before WEBOS...location services, Google voice etc. Hopefully HP will give Palm more leverage to get palm back into the game.
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