Hewlett-Packard confirmed on Tuesday that it is considering using Google’s Android Operating System in its netbooks, a move that could potentially cut netbook costs as well as challenge the dominant position of Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
“We are indeed studying it,” said Marlene Somsak, director, worldwide media relations for Hewlett-Packard’s Personal System Group. “As the world’s leading computer company, we want to understand all the OS choices in the marketplace that may be used by competitors or potentially even deployed by us to meet customer needs. So we’re looking into Android’s capabilities for potential use in the computer and communications industries.
“If you ask if, how or when HP might introduce any Android-enabled platforms, you can anticipate our answer: We don’t speculate on products that may or may not be under way,” Somsak added.
The adoption of Android, a free, open source operating system, would promise to bring down netbook costs at a time when IT departments are coming under pressure to reduce spending because of difficult economic conditions.
The story was first reported on Tuesday when The Wall Street Journal quoted Satjiv Chahil, a vice president of HP’s PC division, as saying the company was studying the Google software. “We want to assess the capability Android may have for the computer and communications industries, and so we are studying it,” Chahil said.
