HP criticizes Apple's limited partner relationships

The senior VP of the HP Americas Solution Partners Organization, Stephen DeWitt, criticized the Apple's lack of developer partner relationships. At an HP conference in Las Vegas, DeWitt said that "Apple's relationship with partners is purely transactional, completely. Apple doesn't have an inclusive philosophy of partner capabilities, and that's just absurd."

That concern has been previously voiced by Apple's solution providers, who felt that Apple didn't have a cooperative mindset. The criticism, of course, was meant to contrast HP's partner-oriented strategy for webOS. HP is actively investing in training partners to contribute to the webOS experience as a whole.

One solution provider that has worked with both HP and Apple, said that "Unlike Apple, HP is very channel friendly. And if you have an issue with HP you can pick up the phone and talk to someone. That's something that's impossible with Apple."

DeWitt, though optimistic about this partner-oriented strategy, still admits that they have a long road ahead: "This is new business for our partners, and its new business for HP, and we're going to learn where we need to invest". But he's confident that by fostering a more collective space for webOS, their application and UI strength will flourish in the years ahead.

source: CRN via Electronista