I bought both a Pre and later a Pre 2 just to experience Web OS. It has some positives, but the lack of official Apps is an absolute killer, especially a lack of regionally tailored Apps.
The fact that the majority of users seem to have to root the device and install PreWare in order to increase the amount of available Apps is NOT a good thing, it's a pain in the hole.
As much as I like my Pre 2 it could never be my full-time smart phone simply because of the lack of official support, and I do not see Web OS 3 on the touchpad changing that.
The Pre 2/ 3 and HP Veer do / will not sell well outside of the USA, much like how the Pre 2 had no real carrier support in Europe.
This means there is no extra oomph for marketing, to drive sales globally and very little incentive for developers to go to any trouble supporting it, leaving it's App store like the barren whore once again.
Whilst the blackberry playbook may struggle to find any sizeable marketshare, the HP Touch, Veer and Pre 3 will be nibbling on an even smaller Market.
I'm not saying Web OS isn't a good OS, but it just fails to live up to it's potential all the time IMHO. Slapping it inside hardware that despite the OP's assertion that hey size doesn't matter, is overly bulky compared to it's competitors and imho plastic cheap looking does not help it's cause.
Likewise the Pre 2 and Veer are the cooky cousins of phone design. In a world where anything over 8-9mm thick is seen as superflouous, the fact that these chunky egg like devices will never truly take the 'mass' Market by storm. They are original, they are cooky, they do feel nice in the hand, but they are NOT importantly seen as cool, elegant or aspirational products.
In a world where your priced the same as the leading competitors, being a bit chubby and wearing an OS that hangs like a pretty but badly fitted dress (it has a lack of support in all the key areas) is not a real viable Market winner.
I had hopes that HP could turn WebOS around, but it's merely making the same mistakes Palm made - albeit with a bigger backing of cash but without correcting where Palm went wrong.
Sadly by the time get it right with Web OS and have hardware people care about, it will be too late. The Market is pretty much sewn up and given another 12 months any gap in the Market will be reduced in size even more so.
A promising OS wasted. Commercially unattractive and lacking developer support and specifically lacking 'global carriers' to subsidise cost of it's handsets - WebOS is dead in the water before it was ever given the chance to truly swim. HP's involvement is disappointing and lacks any real gumption to save this drowning ship unfortunately.
