After the failure of HP’s WebOS TouchPad, the company is now depending on 
Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8
In August, it was rumored that HP’s then-Chief Executive Leo Apotheker has suggested a spinoff of HP’s “personal services group”. On Thursday, Hewlett-Packard has finally announced that it will keep its PC business dismissing the earlier rumors. The move was supported by HP’s new CEO Meg Whitman who was appointed after Apotheker got removed by board of directors in September.
After making the announcement that HP PCs are to stay, Whitman addressed questions like whether HP is going to continue making tablets or not in a call to analysts. She made it clear that her company will continue to build tablets which will run on Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system. “We’re at the beginning stages of a new segment in personal computing,” Whitman said while talking to analysts. She believes that HP can still be successful in the tablet arena because she thinks HP’s combination with Microsoft is one of the best.
According to Whitman, HP’s Windows 8 tablets will be available in the market next year. But the company is making long-term strategy so that it can be successful in the future. “One of my observations is that HP tries to do a lot of things. And I am big believer in doing a small number of things really, really well –set them up, knock them down, set them up, knock them down,” Whitman added.
HP won’t be announcing any new plans or products before its release of third-quarter financial report which is expected to be released by the end of next month. HP’s executive vice president, Todd Bradley also supported his CEO’s stance and said that his company never considered abandoning the production of tablets.
HP has already launched $800 Windows-based tablet called the Slate 500 which is for commercial customers. For consumers, HP launched TouchPad which ran on WebOS. It failed badly and its production was discontinued in summer after its price was slashed down to $99. HP hasn’t decided the fate of its old WebOS as Bradley said that they are still “figuring it out”. “We are continuing to focus on Microsoft-based tablet that we have and one that will develop on Windows based,” Bradley said. Bradley thinks that HP needs to be in the tablet business as the company has vast experience and potential. The decision about the future of WebOS will be made in next few months.
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