And Then There Were Four: HP to Phase Out webOS

Hewlett-Packard announced in a press release earlier today that it plans to “discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones.” This move comes six weeks after the launch of the HP TouchPad tablet, and two weeks after HP announced steep discounts on the device, amid reports that the device has sold far below expectations.

HP purchased webOS developers Palm in April 2010, slightly more than a year after the platform’s launch. Since being bought by HP, webOS devices, including the Pre, Pixi, Veer, and the aforementioned TouchPad, have all been offered at well below retail price, but webOS has remained a distant sixth in operating system market share, well below market leaders Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, with RIM’s Blackberry OS and Microsoft Windows Phone 7 also outpacing webOS.

While the possibility exists that HP will license webOS to other hardware developers, it would appear that this is the death knell for yet another mobile OS.

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When the TouchPad drops below $100, @UnwinnableDonB will be there to snap one up.