HP reshuffles WebOS management
Company names HP veteran Stephen DeWitt to lead WebOS business. Jon Rubinstein will now work on ensuring WebOS will work across HP's many products.
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Hewlett-Packard has reshuffled the team responsible for its mobile ambitions, bringing in a veteran executive to expand the reach of its WebOS platform.
HP said today that it has appointed Stephen DeWitt to run the WebOS business. Jon Rubinstein, who joined HP through the acquisition of Palm and previously ran the business, is taking on a more holistic product role that ensures WebOS works across the company's many products.
DeWitt, who previously ran the company's personal systems group in the Americas region, will be tasked with expanding the adoption and distribution of WebOS products. The company said he will lead the creation of a program to create new consumer and business applications, as well as build a dedicated mobile practice with HP's retail partners.
HP is playing catch-up in the mobile area as it works to crank out new phones and tablets running on WebOS. The first device, the small Veer, has made only a tiny impression with consumers, while the HP Touchpad tablet has received mixed reviews. The market for smartphones continues to be dominated by the iPhone and Android phones, while the iPad is the sole blockbuster tablet.
HP, meanwhile, had previously expressed its desire to bring WebOS to its other products, from personal computers to printers. Rubinstein will be responsible for making that happen.
Both executives will continue to report to Todd Bradley, executive vice president and head of the personal systems group.
"With the successful debut of our first wave of WebOS-based products, we are drawing on our deep executive bench to position the right leaders in the right roles to accelerate the long-term growth of WebOS," he said in a statement.