Hewlett-Packard wants its webOS to compete head-to-head against Google Android, Microsoft Windows Phones, the head of the company claims. Apparently, HP does not want to fight against proprietary Apple iOS alone too.

The current fight on the market of smartphones and media tablets is not going for particular devices, but about operating systems and subsequently eco-systems. Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone are trying to get as many hardware partners as possible, while Apple is standing still in a attempt to popularize its proprietary iOS devices among consumers with its iPad, iPhone and iPod gadgets. After dropping Windows Mobile and acquiring Palm, HP has no other choice than to compete against everyone. But the company does not want to do that alone.

“There is no reason to believe that the only hardware that can run [WebOS] is HP’s. Why would not we try to make it available to other people," asked Leo Apotheker, the chief executive officer of HP, at the D9 news-conference, reports Digital Trends.

HP recently announced a new fleet of tablets and smartphones powered by the latest version of webOS. The company claims that the devices will be supported by independent software developers. However, it is clear that the support from IHVs will not be comparable to the support of Apple iOS and Google Android platforms.

"I happen to believe that webOS is a uniquely outstanding operating system. It’s not correct to believe that it should only be on HP devices. There are all kinds of other people who want to make whatever kind of hardware they make and would like to connect them to the Internet. We’ll make it available to enterprises and to SMBs [small and medium businesses]. It will run on lots of HP devices," said Mr. Apotheker.

Tags: HP, webOS, Palm