HP is leveraging its position as a major hardware retailer to push its recently acquired webOS handset lineup. Spotted on HP’s website was an offer for a free Palm Pixi when you purchase a performance ProBook notebook. The ProBook is a business-oriented lineup of notebooks PCs and HP is targeting business users in this handset promotion.
Admittedly, the Pixi is not as attractive as the Pre and one could argue that HP is merely doing this to move inventory of a handset whose sales are weak. Regardless of the underlying reason, this promotion showcases the marketing power HP has within its control.
Fast forward six months and HP could bundle the Palm Pre 2 with its Envy lineup of notebooks or offer its rumored webOS tablet as companion to a desktop PC. HP could also integrate these webOS handsets and tablets into its enterprise services and offer these mobile devices to business clients at a discount. We could go on and on but you get the concept.
HP as a major manufacturer and retailer of hardware and software services is in a much better position to market and push webOS than Palm ever was as a standalone company. If HP does it right, it may be able to resurrect the struggling webOS platform.
[Via PreCentral and HP]