Analysts suggest Qualcomm buys webOS to build a complete ecosystem

Sina Science and technology news Beijing time of August 24, market research institutions J.　　Jack Gold, an analyst at Gold Associates, said in a Tuesday study that Qualcomm should be the best potential buyer for HP's webOS operating system, because only the company produces processors running on the webOS system. "I think Qualcomm is the most logical buyer and the manufacturer that will make webOS successful," Gold wrote in the report. "Gold said he did not get any insider information from Qualcomm, making such an assertion is purely speculative."　　Qualcomm also did not comment on the Gold report. Once the webOS is acquired, Qualcomm can bundle webOS with its chips and provide a "complete toolkit" for smartphones and tablet makers, including central processing units, graphics processors, wireless chips and webOS software, Gold said. "By then, Qualcomm will be able to provide the necessary tools and design capabilities to build a complete solution and even build a complete ecosystem," he said. According to the gold, Qualcomm's current mobile operating system product brew has become "quite obsolete" and is mainly used for low-end functional handsets.　　He said Qualcomm's acquisition of webOS could bring "a vibrant market for low-cost Tablet PCs", especially in emerging markets that have not been captured by ipads and Android tablet computers. Gold noted that Qualcomm had pledged to support Android and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system, but that webOS would become a "second viable platform" for manufacturers.　　Analysts say webOS may be the target of acquisitions by companies such as Google and Apple, and Apple may be more interested in getting HP's webOS patents. Other potential buyers, such as Qualcomm, Samsung and Amazon, are facing more difficulties in turning webOS from a "loser into a competitive product," Gold said. Hewlett-Packard announced last week that it would stop selling webOS smartphones and tablets. In a statement, Hewlett-Packard said the company would "continue to explore options for optimizing the value of the webOS system". (Xuan Chen)