Hewlett-Packard Drives a Hard Bargain

We already know that Hewlett-Packard's (NYS: HPQ) Palm acquisition has proved to be a magnificent failure. We also know that it had tried hawking webOS to everyone fromAmazon.com (NAS: AMZN) to Research In Motion (NAS: RIMM) or Oracle (NAS: ORCL) , among others, before deciding to essentially give it away to the open-source community.

What we didn't know were some of the juicy details of negotiations at the bargaining table. According to a recent exclusive VentureBeat report, HP was trying to drive a hard bargain. The company was allegedly trying to escape from the botched acquisition as close to unscathed as possible by fetching a sale price equal to the $1.2 billion it paid in the worst deal of 2010.

HP couldn't have avoided losses altogether, as the company ended up eating about $3.3 billion in costs throughout the year related to the mobile money pit.

Imagine buying a used car that is not only obsolete but also proves to be a total lemon. There will be some unavoidable costs like gas to fill the tank, insurance in case of an accident, and maintenance to keep the clunker clunking. Now imagine taking out full-page ads in the local paper proclaiming what a jalopy the vehicle turned out to be, and proceeding to try to find someone willing to take it off your hands for exactly what you paid for it, even though you've driven it for more than a year and a half and it's now even older and even more outdated compared with the slick models now on the road.

Yeah, good luck with that.

It's common knowledge that webOS can't compete with Apple (NAS: AAPL) iOS and Google (NAS: GOOG) Android, so it would be silly for anyone to think a third go-around is just what the platform needed.

Nothing can save webOS, not even becoming open-source like Android. The market has moved on, and so should HP. The company is probably regrouping for a renewed tablet push, but that will only add to HP's pain as it continues to throw good money after bad in an attempt to salvage what it can.

You won't hear me say this often, but ex-CEO Leo Apotheker was right: webOS should die.

With iOS and Android leading the mobile revolution, some winners are hard to see -- because they're buried inside the gadgets. The proliferation of mobile gadgets is going to be breathtaking, and a handful of companies stand to rake in the profits as consumers snap up each year's latest and greatest models. We've just released a new special free report on 3 Hidden Winners of the iPhone, iPad, and Android Revolution. In it, you'll find three companies that supply crucial components that virtually every mobile device relies on. Check it out now -- it's free.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorEvan Niuowns shares of Amazon.com and Apple, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Check out hisholdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google, Apple, Oracle, and Amazon.com.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Google, Apple, and Amazon.com and creating a bull call spread position in Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2011 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.