Early this week PreCentral made available several leaked HP slides which illustrate what the webOS roadmap for the remainder of 2011 may look like. While the intended release of 64GB and 4G models of the Touchpad in August are not overly unexpected, it is the appearance of the Pre3 under the Fall release category which concerns me. When HP’s next attempt at breaking into the smartphone market was announced back in early February, my overall impression was that the tech community was quite excited for it. That announcement was shared with their equally as exciting attempt at the tablet market with the Touchpad, and the questionable inclusion of the HP Veer, “the world’s smallest 4G phone”.
At the time of that announcement the Veer was said to come in early spring, while the Touchpad and Pre3 were slated for summer. The Veer saw less-than-stellar reviews, and now the Touchpad has had its own troubles (though at least the potential of that device is still evident). Now that it’s looking like we may not be seeing the Pre3 until fall, HP has a full helping of issues to resolve. Many believed that if the Pre3 was available at or soon after its announcement, it could have been a great success. I can’t help but think that HP is showing signs of blowing their opportunity to make webOS a legitimate name in the smartphone market. Giving HP the benefit of the doubt, many still held hopes that the Pre3 would not be eclipsed by other devices this summer, before it even made it onto shelves. Adversely, many others felt like a summer release was already too little too late, and a fall release will only amplify those negative impressions.
There is no doubt that HP acquired quite a compelling operating system from Palm, and that it’s too early to say for sure whether they have missed their chance. However, it is clear to me that time and again we see companies go though the same struggles (Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and more recently Windows Phone), where the time between the announcement and when the consumer can actually get their hands on the device is far too long. This market (and the interest of the public) changes too quickly for anyone who is looking to compete to take their time.
HP, if you’re listening, please heed my advice: look at the companies who are currently doing what you aspire to do and succeeding. You must stop announcing products before they are near completion, or you will join the ranks of the numerous companies who share the unfavorable legacy of making the collective tech community’s heart flutter, only to wait so long that every last drop of their excitement has shifted to another.
Source: webOSNation
