HP wants to reinvent itself for business customers in the face of a dismal outlook, and there's already been some bloodshed. The company announced in a press release "that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones." HP acquired webOS when they bought Palm last year for $1.2 million and "will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward." HP is also reportedly in talks to spin-off their PC business--the stock market responded enthusiastically to that news. The news tech community, however, responded with total surprise. Ina Fried at AllThingsD called it a "dramatic turn of events." MG Siegler at TechCrunch tweeted, "HP spinning off PC business. Killing webOS. Killing TouchPad. What exactly does HP do now? Just sell printer ink?"

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Clark Estes