The purchase of Palm opens cracks between HP and Microsoft in the mobile business

he image of Steve Ballmer at CES in Las Vegas in early January with a tablet bearing HP’s Windows software has become in just three months old. The move by HP and Microsoft for the announcement of the IPAD contraprogramar Apple just two weeks after it has become fireworks. On Friday it became known, through Techcrunch, the largest PC maker in the world paralyzed the launch of its slate tablet. A project that HP had promoted over the past few weeks through a variety of videos in which experts were showing some of the technical characteristics of the device.

The company declined to comment, but sources close to the computer maker said that the purchase of Palm changes the whole scenario. In conclusion of the transaction, HP will have access to the Palm operating system WebOS and its more than 1,600 patents. “This gives HP the ability to create an own platform (combining software and hardware) that could be used in tablets, smartphones, netbooks and other mobile devices that can arise in the future. A move also allowed to differ from its competition, “he assures CincoDías industry sources.

This scenario has a clear victim, who is none other than Microsoft. If HP creates the platform, the great harm is Windows, which until now has played a major role in the vast majority of devices in the computer maker. If so, would be a setback for the company of Steve Ballmer’s intention to gain positions in the competitive and booming wireless business, which has lost significant ground in recent years over its rivals. In 2009, according to Gartner, Windows Mobile had a market share globally of 8.7% compared to 11.8% last year.

HP platform’s future would be willing to compete with other platforms with Apple and Google, who have taken an unstoppable force in this market. In fact, in February and only in the U.S., Android recorded a market share of 9% compared to 42.1% of Blackberry, Apple’s 25.4% and 15.1% of Windows Mobile.

While Microsoft took the stage at CES with two tablets equipped with Windows 7, Archos and Pegatron companies, the HP was its strong commitment to stop Apple pull IPAD. This and his own tablet Courier, a prototype that although the software giant never officially presented in the press had shown as the anti-IPAD of Microsoft. But curiously, the Redmond company also has parked this project, throwing in the towel, at least for now, the war on the tablet. Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s official spokesman, told The Wall Street Journal that his company “have no plans to build a device like this at this time.”

Both HP’s maneuver as Microsoft’s decision to put an end to the project Courier, a device with two touch screens and appearance of the book, is a clear winner against Apple. Although the news that HP is not the first PC manufacturer in the world is removed from the market for tablets, it will likely delay the arrival of HP in this business. Something that opens the field open to Apple to boost sales of its IPAD in the absence of rivals.

However, it is to see the success achieved by moving to HP WebOS. This Palm software is one of the most interesting mobile OS market, but competition to facing the software giant is not trivial, as evidenced by recent results of the handset maker. Alternatives Android Google and Apple are hard to crack.