HP aiming to boost mobile market share by licensing WebOS

HP could license its WebOS operating system to other smartphone and tablet vendors in an attempt to gain a stronger foothold in these markets.

HP chief executive Léo Apotheker was reported as saying in Beijing on Wednesday that the firm has been "talking to a number of companies" about using the WebOS platform, according to Bloomberg.

"I can share with you that a number of companies have expressed interest. We are continuing our conversations," he said.

Samsung has been tipped as one of the major vendors that could use the operating system in its smartphones and tablets, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Francisco Jeronimo, research manager for European mobile devices at IDC, told V3.co.uk that the decision by HP to license WebOS is unsurprising and could find success with manufacturers looking to support a second platform.

"For vendors focused solely on Android the only real alternative is the Windows Phone platform at present. However, manufacturers could be attracted to WebOS as it provides a good user experience and HP is strong when it comes to branding, marketing and distribution," he said.

"LG, Huawei, Motorola and Sony Ericsson could be viable partners, but for HP to see a significant rise in market share it will need to get Samsung onboard. It remains to be seen if the Korean firm is interested as it already has its own Bada operating system."

Jeronimo added that licensing the WebOS platform would most likely not affect sales of HP's own devices, as it faces a tough time in the market, dismissing the TouchPad as a distant second to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

"HP's mobile market share in western Europe is almost nil and the newly released TouchPad is a long way from being competitive as it lacks an ecosystem and the price is high compared to other tablets," he said.

"There is no way that the TouchPad will sell more than the BlackBerry PlayBook as RIM is very strong in the enterprise."

HP demonstrated its TouchPad tablet in action to V3.co.uk on Wednesday, touting several functions, such as true multi-tasking and the ability to run Flash, as central to making the device ideally suited for business users.