HP buys Palm . . .

I think it's a smart move on HPs side, I also think it will take some time to bring any real differentiated offering to market. I see RIM being at risk more so than Apple, also MS could lose an important Windows 7 mobile partner.

OTB
 
Seven reasons’ Apple and MSFT should worry about Palm deal. Do you agree?
http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/04/29/hp-buys-palm-7-reasons-apple-and-microsoft-should-worry/

1) This is good for HP. They get to own a great mobile OS. They're not dependent on someone else dictating to them how the OS will be, the API's, etc.
2) This might not be good for everyone else. HP bought Voodoo (high PC maker) a few years ago and ran it into the ground. Will history repeat itself?

I wonder if they're going to ditch Windows 7 and put WebOS on their slate?
 
The release of the WebOS and the Palm Pre last year has really paid off!

I can only see 3 major players in the smartphone OS's for the next few years: Apple, Google/HTC (growing fast) and HP(WebOS). MS market share is dropping fast in the mobile market but they will get some in the portable rugged field devices market. RIM is still basking in their past successes and I think at the end of the day they will be reduced to provide BES solutions instead of making smartphones.
 
I'd guess within a 3 year time frame Android will grow slowly at the expense of everyone except apple. BB may lose some market share but not for much, too many biz addicts for crackberries.

As for HP/Palm , I really dunno.
 
I think it’s fascinating that we could be looking at a major disruptive technology about to change the computer industry and the old Intel/M$ partnership has almost no part to play in it.

The new OS winners are looking to be Google and Apple

The new hardware winners could be Motorola and Qualcomm.
 
I have to wonder if RIM can stay competitive - Apple has done a good job at courting corporate users, what was once a no-no at our company is now the standard, a former crackberry addict myself I don't know anyone I work with who uses a blackberry - everyone has moved to the iPhone and bitches about AT&T's coverage in NYC and SFO.

OTB
 
Like I said I think RIM is pretty strong on their BES technologies so even if their mobile business were to shrunk substantially they can provide services and custom enterprise solutions with other handsets.
 
HP buys Palm . . .
There are two things that HP brings to the table: one is money and two is distribution which IMO is significant and could be a game changer.