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Pull the plug?

So users will have a choice, in some cases a better one, when the plug is pulled on Web Messenger.

- Yahoo Pulls the Plug on Web Messenger, News.Softpedia.com, October 1, 2011,

2. HP pulled the plug Thursday on its TouchPad tablet device, which was launched June 1, and plans to discontinue its WebOS-based smartphones.

“Our TouchPad has not been gaining enough traction in the marketplace,” said HP CEO Leo Apotheker in a conference call. “We have made the difficult but necessary decision to shut down the WebOS hardware operations.”

Among other factors, he blamed “significant competition” for the abrupt shutdown plans.

The move marks a reversal of strategy for the world’s largest computer maker. HP paid $1.2 billion in April 2010 to acquire Palm, developer of the WebOS software that powers its smartphones and tablets, in a bid to stand out in the mobile market.

TouchPad’s untimely demise “has as much to do with the commoditization of the PC business as it does with Apple,” says Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.

Retail presence in particular has been a problem for HP’s TouchPad, she says. Selling at Best Buy and other big-box retailers, where many similar products sit side by side, makes it hard for PC makers to stand out. That runs in stark contrast to Apple’s slick retail presence, where iPads and iPhones get prominent display and unrivaled service, she points out.