“Former Palm CEO and current HP executive Jon Rubenstein sent a letter to employees addressing lukewarm reviews of its new TouchPad tablet, and suggested that criticism of its webOS operating system is similar to complaints reviewers had with early versions of Mac OS X,” Sam Oliver reports for AppleInsider.
The letter from Rubinstein, who is senior vice president and general manager of HP’s Palm Global Business Unit, came in response to reviews that characterized the newly launched TouchPad as a ‘mediocre tablet,'” Oliver reports. “Reviewers were impressed with the look of the TouchPad, but took issue with the device’s weight, bugs, and lack of applications.”
MacDailyNews Take: Reviewers must have been impressed with the look of the TouchPad because it looks just like a really thick iPad. More great originality from a bunch of printer ink peddlers.
Dear Apple legal dept., looks like you have yet another valid case of trade dress infringement should you desire to pursue it.
Oliver reports, “He then shared a trio of quotes from reviews from a different piece of software that launched more than 10 years ago: Apple’s own Mac OS X operating system. Those early reviews characterized the software as ‘sluggish,’ without any ‘quality apps,’ and ‘just not making sense.’ ‘It’s hard to believe those statements described Mac OS X — a platform that would go on to change the landscape of Silicon Valley in ways that no one could have imagined,’ he said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: With Mac OS X there was a need for a superior desktop OS, and, get this, an audience of millions of Mac users ready and waiting.
Just as with iPod, there is no need for a “superior” iPad. Just as with iPod, the only maker of superior iPads will be Apple. Someone ought to tell John Rubinstein, wheel re-inventor. You’d think, by now, he’d have figured it out.
Other than hopelessly-outclassed tech companies, a handful of Apple castoffs, and some tech magazines who like to concoct “shootouts,” exactly who’s crying out for iPad knockoffs? Nobody. Not in any meaningful numbers.
This whole thing is iPod redux: A bunch of inferior junk in search of Apple’s table scraps. HP’s quest to become the San Disk of tablets ought to be an embarrassment to a company where “invent” actually meant something a very long time ago.
Another Big Difference: Apple provided Classic, a way for people to migrate OS X and still run apps they needed/wanted.
HP has no apps people need or want. They’re all on iOS.
Isn’t Rubinstein the same guy that said the Palm Pre would destroy iPhone sales? I forget how that turned out, seems like not so well because I have never seen a Palm Pre in the wild.
Rube uses every opportunity possible to drop the Apple name & references. it is the reason this guy got the gig at palm to begin. Anytime someone questions him he simply “but Apple..” magical zinggggg sound effect
I have one friend, stuck at Sprint, who got a Pre instead of an iPhone.
Does Rubinstein think he is Steven Jobs and can deliver really high class products?
I think that was Roger McNamee at Elevation Partners, the Private Equity Group that bought a large stake in Palm.
When you are right MDN, you are RIGHT.
HP is a joke. WebOS failed phones and now it will fail tablets as well. Another “me-too” copycat tablet is all the world needs. There is only an iPad market….oh yeah, there’s an iPod market too; might want to do some research on the latter to find out how the former is shaking out : )
Why can’t the next wanna-be CEO just say, “Yeah, it’s shit, but we need you to buy it.”
I played around with the TouchPad at a local Best Buy. It’s a nice interface but the hardware sucked. The accelerometer was slow to respond and it was just awkward to hold in general. I love Apple, Mac OS X, and iOS but I do like webOS. Unfortunately, the TouchPad doesnt do it justice. It’s apparent that HP cut corners to get the price down to match Apple but unless there’s a major discount in the future, I dont see why I should buy a TouchPad when I can buy a iPad for the same price.
From what I understand, the hardware is no slouch. The truth is that WebOS is not as lean and efficient as iOS. The miracle of the iPad and iPhone is that Apple developed an extremely efficient OS capable of running snappily on mobile devices. Being able to customize the silicon match is a bonus. Here’s to iOS and A-Series processors!
HP had a chance to actually be a decent option to iPad. Even if it took another year to develop, they should have waited.
Why did they come out with a half-baked, heavy brick with so many flaws?
Anybody can make crap. Just ask Samsung, RIM & Motorola. We didn’t need another piece of crap, HP.
Because in another year, they would need another year to catch up with what Apple would have done in another year.
@Abdullah — I’m going to iCal your comment for review in another year!
Majority of reviews are not just panning for software, but also hardware.
actually: all the reviews bag heavily on both hard and software equally. its not just a comparison to os x… its more than just software at work here.
Comparing WebOS 3.0 to Cheetah, a point zero, beta release is nonsense. The more apt comparison is to iPad 1, with the first iOS version. Was that one, iOS 3.1?
Does this mean the HP executive WebOS is a few years late? Why can’t it be a few years ahead of iOS? I might consider trying WebOS, but not at the same prices as an iPAD.
… while iPhone with iOS 5 is the pinnacle of perfection that others simply can’t match.
10 Years ago Rubinstein wasn’t releasing Mac OS X 10.0 against Mac OS X 10.7. Which is basically what he’s up against today.
Almost have to feel sorry for the poor guy.
10 years ago he was not releasing anything software-wise, since he only did hardware at Apple.
I like WebOS better than Android
This. I see no reason for MDN to viciously trash WebOS, which at least innovates instead of copies
I agree with you. Android is merely copying and inmho, stealing IP. HP is trying to do their own thing. Hope they can take some of Android’s share.
I don’t care about WebOS ever since they tried to make their phones to masquerade as an ipod and sync with itunes. I hope WebOS FAILS.
Having used OS X since the first release, all I can say is … what a bogus comparison! OS X had flaws, many that weren’t fixed until Jaguar (the first consumer ready OS X, IMO), but it still offered a myriad of advantages over a Windows PC (IE: non-crashable, virus free, real multitasking, no more driver conflicts, etc). Conversely, the HP Touchpad offers nothing superior to an iPad. It’s just another poorly conceived me-too device that can’t even offer a low price to offset its lack.
Sure Rubiks Cube deserves the nut shots for all the smack he talked but……
HP is doing its best to follow Apple’s blueprint for vertical integration. Will HP be successful or not is beside the point. The fact that they are trying is important because it is a giant slap in the face to MicroSucksAss and Giggle.
Don’t get me wrong, in no way is this a pro HP post. Again I think Rubiks deserves every nut shot fired his way….. I just find it interesting that someone is finally copying Apple’s approach and not trying to make a cheaper version of Apple stuff.
“You’ve also seen that reviewers rightly note things we need to improve about the webOS experience. The good news is that most of the issues they cite are already known to us.”
Then why didn’t you fix them before releasing it?!
HP said these fixes would be available shortly. If that were the case, then I think they would have waited a few weeks–which means the fixes are NOT quite so easy and will take a long time.
Making this bizarre analogy reveals a lot about Rubenstein’s thinking and motivation. Why would he think that anybody would be impressed by a comparison with “Apple of yesteryear”? Today’s Apple is a world away from the launch of the original OS X, which is now ancient history.
By trying to clone Apple’s modern successes in this piecemeal fashion, Rubenstein only reveals what a washed up bit player he is.
HP does a lot of things very well. As far as laser printers, it’s hard to find any that are more reliable. They also have the Indigo division, that also has been a very competitive albeit small segment of it’s market. Now attempting to compete with Apple head to head, that is a different story.
Among the comments here, there are some who don’t mind the webOS, but have concerns with the Touchpad hardware. Others seem to find the hardware OK, but lament the software. And right there’s the b*tch would-be “iPad killers” have to tame – you have to match Apple not only in hardware, but also in the OS, both of which are always excellent and cutting edge – and then, and only then, can you even start thinking of handling the monster called the iTunes App Store!
Incidentally, can someone document “The Continuing Story of the iPad Killers”? It seems like these duds flare up like a shooting star for a while before dying out and giving way to the next one on a continuous basis. It seems like yesterday that the Xoom was gonna do the deed, then it was the Playbook (or was it the Galaxy?), and now it’s the TouchPad.
Wasn’t Rubenstein Apple hardware guy? Why is he spouting off about Mac OS X as a comparison?
Exactly to not to refer to any of his own work at Apple as example of “bad” engineering — Rubinstein is correct about this since, unlike now, there was no case of bad hardware engineering when he was under Jobs — as well as to hint that this time the problem is with software: it does not help Rubinstein much since he now heads whole project, not just hardware engineering.
And the engineering is last years’ iPad.
Yes, I see your point… makes sense.
Mr. Web OS, I knew Mac OS X version 10.0. Mac OS X is a friend mine. You sir, are no Mac OS X…
Ink peddler….. Ouch
These wannabe SJ just don’t get it. You cannot be steve jobs. There is only one SJ.
Rubenstein managed to drive Palm in to the ground. Why is he now being allowed to do the same with HP devices?
Sorry John, but Mac OS X had a LONG history before it even came to Apple. It’s UNIX. It had solid underpinnings way before it became Mac OS X. Meanwhile, WebOS has been an object of HYPE since 2009 and has yet to adequately prove itself in the market.
Maybe if you didn’t lie so much to your potential customers, John, they might give WebOS a second look in the future. But I personally am fed up with the marketing scam approach to selling your devices. They are NOT ‘fast’. The video quality is NOT even adequate for a pad device. Your WebOS HP TouchPad is NOT ready for the market. If you had waited to release it when it actually MET all your marketing hype, you would have had to go all APOLOGIST on us, trying to, yet again, justify inadequate product releases.
IOW John, STFU and step out of the picture. You’re not helping anyone, especially HP. WebOS may actually succeed one day, but not in your hands, or mouth.
REWRITE:
If you had waited to release it when it actually MET all your marketing hype, you would NOT have had to go all APOLOGIST on us, trying to, yet again, justify inadequate product releases.
speaking of OS X when do you all think lion is going to be released. Will it be tomorrow?