HP is apparently getting serious again about making a consumer-themed tablet; a year after the failure of the WebOS-based TouchPad. In a memo that leaked today, HP told team members that it will be forming a new Mobility Global Business Unit, which it says "will focus on consumer tablets", at least at first.
News.com confirmed with HP that the memo is genuine, but the company declined to comment further. The man picked to head up the new Mobility division is Alberto Torres, who previously was the head of Nokia's MeeGo smartphone division.
The fact that HP is launching a new consumer tablet business could be a big boost for Microsoft and Windows 8 and/or Windows RT; HP is likely to use one or both of Microsoft's operating systems in any new consumer tablet.
HP tried to launch the TouchPad tablet as a competitor to the iPad. It was released in July 2011 but poor reviews and even worse sales caused the company to pull the plug on the TouchPad just one month after it was launched.
HP has already announced it will be launching a business-themed tablet running on Windows 8 and that it will be coming out sometime later this year. In the leaked memo, the company said that tablet will continue under HP's PC division.
Source: News.com
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