HP and the mobile market have had a rocky relationship to say the least, from old Windows Mobile handsets to the purchase of the ailing Palm, it’s never quite clicked for HP. Of course, axing the WebOS division months after purchasing it probably didn’t help much when you think about it. Recently, HP began their march back into the mobile market with a new Android tablet, the Slate 7 as well as upcoming hardware featuring the elusive Tegra 4 CPU from Nvidia. The Slate 7 was a disappointing offering from HP and featured last-year specs at an unattractive price, but will they have more luck with smartphones?
If you think HP and tablets haven’t gone well together then their track record with smartphones is even worse. The Pre 3 never made to market here in the States and HP have never made a smartphone since then. With the business giant saying no to Windows Phone it looks like Android is the only other logical choice and with the Slate 7 they certainly sparked a fresh wave of questions concerning HP and smartphones. We might have some answers on whether or not HP is even considering entering the market again, thanks to the Indian Express. Speaking to the publication, Senior Director of Consumer PCs and Tablets for Asia-Pacific, Yam Su Yin, said the following:
“The answer is yes but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game.”
“Being late you have to create a different set of proposition[s]. There are still things that can be done. It’s not late. When HP has a smartphone, it will give a differentiated experience.”
While these are optimistic words from HP – or at least one exec within the company – it’s not easy to break into the smartphone game, especially with so many heavily entrenched players and the insane marketing machine that is Samsung. If they want to succeed they’d have to break into the US and that’s even more difficult than it is on an international level. With the carriers still holding all the keys to the market, we’re not sure even HP can get the right people on board at this late stage.
Competition is always good though, and we’d like to ask what you think HP could bring to the table?