IT managers may not have the control they once had over the overall IT direction, but they still make specific product decisions.

HP needs a good alternative to Apple, in particular, and is counting on the WebOS to deliver it.

HP plans to produce a range of WebOS-enabled devices that will also be easy for corporations to tie into their backend infrastructure and security. That will be a big selling point.

But will HP, at some point, advertise the WebOS as a Windows replacement, taking on what is now the known world? Just where is the WebOS going? "Fair question. I'll talk to you next time," said Apotheker.

Patrick Thibodeau covers SaaS and enterprise applications, outsourcing, government IT policies, data centers and IT workforce issues for Computerworld. Follow Patrick on Twitter at , or subscribe to . His e-mail address is .