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This story is familiar... and burnt Apple users (yes, those guys) in its prior incarnation.
Often, reviews of Apple's PC OSes (Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X alike) complained that they weren't as easy to use as Apple claimed. They were weirdly colored, buttons were in the wrong place, menus were on the top rather than in the Window, support for right-click was lacking, etc.
The problem was that Windows 9X and XP was the default OS of the time. Everyone was schooled in Windows interface standards, and thus viewed every other PC product through that lens. Thus, since window buttons and menus were in a different place, they were "weird" and "wrong."
We're now suffering this problem with iPhone (and Android). Simplistic OSes driven by a "home button" interface are basic and "easy," but also not very powerful. webOS is super-intuitive and powerful when you invest two minutes in learning its interface style, but if you're reviewing it as an Android or iPhone user, it "feels weird," just like OS X felt weird to PC users.
Ironically, as Android and iOS continue copying HP Palm over time, those features will become more familiar (and bragging points for the competition).
However, the biggest advantages of the webOS are the fastness and fluidity at which it operates, plus the deep integration of key apps into the notifications system. These aren't replicated easily, and for users who invest the two minutes to learn gestures, the difference is quite striking. Getting basic tasks done on an HPalm is more fun and more fast than on iOS (which is quite primitive and interrupt-driven) and on Android (which often crashes 2/3 of the way through the task).
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