HP Exec Slaps Apple For "Absurd" Philosophy Toward Partners

We've always been told that it's better to talk up your abilities than criticize those of your rivals, but it seems HP couldn't bottle up its Apple resentment any longer. HP exec Stephen DeWitt told CRN that Apple's poor commitment to its partners is their biggest weakness, describing its philosophy as "absurd" and suggesting that HP would be looking to create the equivalent of an "Elite" line in its webOS-based mobility products.

As well as that branding, HP will also open up its purse and shake money in the faces of developers. This will bring new partners to us because we are getting into the application space, which involves muscles that we haven't exercised in some time," DeWitt suggested, going on to point out that there would be a phase of re-education for the company. "This is new business for our partners, and its new business for HP, and we're going to learn where we need to invest."

CRN musters up an anonymous solution provider who has experience working with both Apple and HP in the past, and who praises the PC company for being "very channel friendly" whereas with its Cupertino rival "it really feels like they're holding you hostage sometimes." Whether webOS on every PC and a new focus on the cloud and services are enough to persuade users that HP devices have the same cachet as Apple hardware remains to be seen, however.