“Every one” of HP’s PCs to run WebOS, starting next year

Looks like HP wasn't kidding when it said that its newly acquired, touch-friendly WebOS platform would be making a move beyond tablets and smartphones.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, HP CEO Leo Apotheker said the company is looking to bring WebOS, the touchscreen platform that it acquired along with Palm last year, to its latest PCs starting in 2012.

And we're not just a few of its PCs, Apotheker said. Instead, think "every one" of them, as the Bloomberg story puts it.

The article goes light on the details, with Apotheker telling Bloomberg that bringing WebOS to its upcoming PCs would "create a massive platform" and thereby draw a larger pool of app developers.

Also left unsaid: whether we'd be talking dual-boot Windows/WebOS systems (which may or may not come with WebOS preinstalled) or Windows PCs that would run WebOS simultaneously (more likely). For the record, the Bloomberg story says the plan is for PCs that "include the ability to run WebOS," leaving open the possibility that WebOS would be an optional extra.

If HP's WebOS strategy sounds a little random, well … just consider the upcoming Mac OS X "Lion," which (as The Loop points out) is expected to bring elements of Apple's mobile iOS platform—including the App Store and iPhone-like Launchpad for apps—to the Mac.

And then there's HP's new TouchSmart Windows PCs, including a new model with a 23-inch touch-enabled display (pictured here) that slides down to a 60-degree angle, essentially turning the thing into a giant touch panel.

For now, HP's TouchSmart PC relies on the company's own TouchSmart skin, which adds a touch-friendly layer of apps and functionality atop Windows 7.

So … picture the same TouchSmart PC, except this time running on WebOS rather than the TouchSmart interface—and maybe even capable of syncing with your WebOS-powered TouchPad tablet or smartphone.

It's an interesting strategy, and one that HP badly needs if it wants to stand apart from the crowd and boost its sagging revenue.

But will users actually take to a full-on mobile OS running on a PC—especially those without touchscreens? Good question. Hopefully, we'll get more answers at HP's coming "summit meeting," slated for March 14 in San Francisco.

Related:
Apotheker Seeks to Save HP's 'Lost Soul' With Software Growth [Bloomberg News, via BusinessWeek]

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.