HP’s Rubinstein Slams Android, Attacks iPad

By

hpslate

Apple and Android have consumed much of the ink used to describe the tablet wars. Now HP is attempting to grab some of the spotlight; it’s first move, an interview dissing Google’s mobile operating system as “backward looking” and preparing to take on Apple’s iPad with a Franken-tablet: part Palm and part revamped Slate.

HP’s Jon Rubinstein, who helped create the iMac and iPod when at Apple, has gone onto an executive position at Palm, which was then acquired by HP. Rubinstein, in a Wall Street Journal interview, talks about competition and the remade Slate tablet, now named the PalmPad, ahead of the upcoming CES.

Android Vice President of Engineering at Google, Andy Rubin, recently said his software and Apple’s iOS were among the lone contenders as modern mobile operating systems, a remark with which Rubinstein took offense.

Talking of Palm’s webOS, the HP exec said: “That’s just not true.” “If anything,” he told Kara Swisher, “I’d say Android is based on Java, which is actually sort of more backward looking. We took a real leap forward in doing what we did. It’s very similar to what the Chrome guys are doing at Google.”

As for Apple, Rubinstein touted HP’s webOS as designed “from the group up for being a mobile operating system. It will really shine on the tablet.”

Speaking of tablets, the HP is expected to introduce the PalmPad, which reportedly looks very similar to the company’s Slate. That tablet sold just 5,000 units on its first run and 9,000 on its second run. This time, however, the tablet will use the company’s webOS on the Atom-based x86 architecture. WebOS was originally designed to run on smartphones using ARM processors.

[AppleInsider, All Things Digital]

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.