It didnt have to end this way what HP should have done with webOS

webOS's early life was tough, as Palm lacked the market clout to really give its smartphone platform the push it needed.

HP, however, was perfectly placed to get webOS into millions of users' hands and make it a credible contender. It would have meant spending some money, but it could have made HP the next Apple.

Source:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/it-didnt-have-to-go-this-way-what-hp-should-have-done-with-webos.ars