When it comes to webOS, for now at least, Hewlett Packard is the only name in town. Ever since the company’s purchase of Palm, webOS has been synonymous with HP. That need not be the case forever, as apparently the company is open to the idea of licensing its operating system to other smartphone manufacturers, as revealed today by CEO Leo Apotheker.

Apotheker was speaking at the D9 conference, where he talked about the possibilities for the integration of webOS into consumer electronics beyond just smartphones. Appliances, for instance, could be networked together and use webOS to communicate with each other and interact with their users. Of course, that hardware’s outside the range of HP’s expertise, opening the door for sharing access to webOS with hardware partners.

Responding specifically to a question about a hypothetical partnership with HTC, Apotheker said that would certainly be a conversation he’d be interested in having. There’s no evidence to suggest that any such communication has taken place, with HTC or any other smartphone manufacturer, but the door is clearly open should any feel the desire to join the webOS club.

Source: Engadget