Palm’s last mobile operating system, webOS, will find new life in LG televisions. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the first new webOS television will be showcased in January during the CES 2014 trade show in Las Vegas. This is an interesting move by LG. A couple of years ago, connected televisions were largely expected to run Android. But Samsung is now seen launching Tizen-powered televisions by 2015 and LG’s webOS move means that the smart TV market might become surprisingly fragmented in the coming years — particularly if Apple and Microsoft also jump in with iOS and Windows televisions.
It will be fascinating to see how the competition between Sony’s PlayStation 4, Microsoft’s Xbox One, and smart TVs shapes up over the next two years. Will consumers need a TV with an application ecosystem if they have high-end video game consoles that are designed to deliver video content and apps? Will Apple sweep the table once it finally unleashes its “iTV”? Or might Roku be the ultimate dark horse?
