There are rumors circulating about a potential Samsung buyout of webOS now that HP has killed off support for Palm’s legacy. Rumors began when Sammy quietly recruited HP’s ex-vice president of PSG marketing Raymond Wah to handle its PC sales. Such a purchase would allow for Samsung to compete head on against Apple and Google, according to sources obtained by DigiTimes. This purchase would validate concerns Samsung has over Google’s recent $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola, which may seriously threaten hardware brand vendors, and sources familiar with the DigiTimes report believes this is the main reason as to why Sammy would purchase webOS as a defensive move.
Honestly, I think Samsung has been planning to go all in on its own operating system for a while now, especially considering recent news about its newly released bada SDK 2.0 and the hiring of Android ROM maker and founder of CyanogenMod, Steve Kondik. Not too long ago Kim Jae-hong, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, said last Monday: “We plan to develop Korea’s own web-based operating systems by forming a consortium of local companies. We will forge ahead in developing a new kind of operating system, which is being seen as a next-generation product, in order to build the kind of advantage we do not enjoy in the market for smartphones and tablet PCs, which is dominated by Google and Apple.” I’d say the stars are beginning to align.
There hasn’t been any official word from Samsung and/or HP on the acquisition of webOS, so we’ll have to wait for any further developments.
[via DigiTimes]