HTC has said that it is considering purchasing a mobile operating system, noting that the company has discussed doing so internally but will “not do it on impluse”, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reports.
Following HP’s announcement that it would cease production of webOS devices and begin seeking licensees for its stricken platform, it was speculated that Android vendors including HTC and Samsung were worried about the future of Android following Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
As a result, it was reported the companies had been looking to acquire the webOS platform to develop devices running their own OS to further expand their market reach.
HTC’s Cher Wang told reporters in China:
“We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse.”
Wang also said that HTC’s advantages lie in its distinctiveness, who could mean developing products that run different operating systems:
“We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform,” Wang said. “Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.”
HTC has reiterated its stance on Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility from the start and Wang continued to reaffirm that support by saying it was the “correct” decision by the search giant because Motorola has many significant patents, adding that Google may take time to think about how it brands its Android phones and how it manages other Motorola products.
As the market stands, webOS is possibly the only operating system that HTC would be able to purchase, as it has some market exposure and HP is said to be open to offers.
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