HP to buy Palm and “double down” on WebOS

As Lee mentioned in an earlier post, Palm seeking a buyer is interesting for the mobile market. Palm was clearly dying and would have lost all relevance without a new owner and investment -better strategy will be needed too because history has shown that good tech does not always win, or even necessarily survive.

According to TechCrunch, HP is going to buy Palm for 1.2 billion and “double down on WebOS.” I think this is interesting and potentially good news for consumers, because having more viable options and serious competitors in the market fosters innovation and better pricing. Even if HP goes more in the Apple/RIM “closed ecosystem” direction, it is large enough to put together a viable option with a solid OS and decent app marketplace.

Some people may want to see everything come to just one or two mobile OS platforms for simplicity (e.g. just iPhone and Android), but I think it’s too early to settle for that. There are enough consumers, different needs, and innovators to support multiple platforms and choices. I think this is good news, for now.