Credit: Shutterstock photoHewlett-Packard ( HPQ ) announced today that it will begin installing webOS - an alternative, Linux-based computer operating system that the company acquired last year when it bought Palm, Inc. - on its PCs.
Leo Apotheker, who has served as the venerable Silicon Valley firm's chief executive officer since Mark Hurd stepped down from the post in a cloud of scandal last year, told Bloomberg / BusinessWeek that he wanted webOS installed alongside Microsoft ( MSFT ) Windows on every computer the company sells.
"You create a massive platform," Apotheker told the publication. However, the company will face challenges in trying to spread adoption of Palm's OS product - currently, Microsoft still commands more than 90 percent of the market share for desktop and laptop computers while Google ( GOOG ), Research in Motion ( RIMM ) and Apple ( AAPL ) have locked down the smartphone operating ecosystem with Android, BlackBerry OS and iOS, respectively.
Despite an early surge in January and February, HP's shares fell after the firm's latest financial reporting session, slumping to the $42 level at which it began the year.
Overall, HPQ shares underperformed in 2010, sliding more than 18 percent against a gain of nearly 17 percent for the NASDAQ Composite Index.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
