HP has sure as heck had a busy week.
The Touchpad, not even two weeks old, has been taking a bit of a hit from reviewers for essentially not being a good enough response to the iPad2 (which makes sense, as it was a response to the original iPad). On Monday, the senior VP of WebOS development, Ari Jaaksi, personally responded to some of those complaints (but not mine). He defends the lack of apps by saying developers needed to have the tablet in hand first and only some devs got an advanced unit. If that was the case, then HP should have internally developed apps. Sorry guys, but you have the R&D budget for it and Babbage knows you had the time. A more legit response to a complaint would be pointing out that the device’s reported “sluggishness” has to do with the fact that most reviewers were already messing with the devices while their settings and apps were installing. While dangerously close to the “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature” defense, it’s at least factual. As a WebOS user, I totally get what he’s saying. My Pre slows to a crawl when I reset it and need to import my settings. It’s honestly refreshing to see this kind of open dialogue, and the fact that it’s one without the usual hand washing and blaming of the critics for not “getting it” makes it even more welcomed.
That open dialogue is the small story compared to the internal shuffling. HP has moved WebOS’s advocate and former Palm head honcho Jon Rubinstein to the position of SVP of Product Innovation. He’s replaced by Stephen DeWitt as SVP and general manager of the WebOS Global Business Unit. This shifts Rubinstein over to a more technical role, and puts DeWitt, more of a sales guy, as the suit in the room. Interviews show that Dewitt gets WebOS, and that the goal is to sell it harder. Having Rubinstein behind the scenes instead of out front is probably a good move too. Basically, it shows that HP may not want him in charge of the division, but they still want him providing his vision.
In another head-snap, AT&T announced last night that they would be releasing a Touchpad 4G. This model, price unknown yet, will have a 1.5 Ghz chip instead of the existing model’s 1.2 Ghz chip. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but little differences make for big changes in that small a form. We’d love to get our hands on one (Please note, HP, we are not too proud to beg) and see how it performs. However, the partnership with AT&T, a network largely useless in my area, fills me with sadness. It’s not like Sprint was going to have it.
The Touchpad 4G. From AT&T. Because I am Hated by the Dieties of Tech.
Finally, in what is either an attempt to draw sales or a massive blow to HP’s ego, big box retailer Best Buy is already slashing prices on the Touchpad. Canadians may get the better deal here (first, universal healthcare and now this), but be sure to go in for a price adjustment if you purchase a Touchpad at Best Buy.
As I said, busy week for the company formerly known as Palm. Who knows, if they can keep it up, WebOS Wednesdays could be a regular feature here.
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