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Interestingly, this means the only manufacturer-neutral smartphone OS is now Windows Phone 7. iOS is on Apple, Android is on Motorola/Google, Blackberry on RIM, and webOS on HP/Palm. I wonder if this means we'll see an increase in WP7-based phones from HTC, Samsung, and LG...
On one hand, other Android based phone manufacturers are clearly going to face an uphill struggle if Google are going to release new versions of the OS on their own devices first. On the other hand, it will hopefully provide some protection against being sued by Apple+Microsoft.
Interestingly, this means the only manufacturer-neutral smartphone OS is now Windows Phone 7. iOS is on Apple, Android is on Motorola/Google, Blackberry on RIM, and webOS on HP/Palm. I wonder if this means we'll see an increase in WP7-based phones from HTC, Samsung, and LG...
Well, there's Nokia for Win Phone 7 =)
2) sell the non-smartphone business to ZTE or Huawei
3) try to make (android) smartphones and fail the same as non-google motorola did, then realize it does not matter because of 1)
UPDATE: 4) sell the Motorola brand name to ZTE or Huawei
By the look of motorola solutions website, there's nothing that links the newly acquired company, at least directly, to the mobile phone hardware market. From Wikipedia: Motorola Solution Corporate structure The company is structured into two divisions: Enterprise: Comprises communications offered to government enterprise mobility business. Motorola develops advanced data capture, wireless infrastructure, bar code sc…
This is the beginning of the end for Android as an open platform. Google will have a financial incentive to release the best phones as Motorola devices. I would not want to be HTC today. I like how Larry Page talks about IP in the blog post. After all of that talk about how patents were overpriced, Google comes out and spends more money than anyone on acquiring what is basically a terrible handset maker with a large…
Google has got to play the game until the rules of the game change. They need patents for protection. Yes, the patents are overpriced, but does Google have a choice?
I hope google cares more about updating android for the motorola droid2. Maybe I will finally get 2.3 :D
We'll see how quickly Google can transform them. Android could really use a line of official devices that are consistently updated like iOS devices.
Keeping Android open whilst treating their own phone manufacturing fairly will be a big challenge for Google. I hope they manage it. If done correctly the result should be a improvement in Android for all manufacturers, as the internal demands of Motorola will want to be heard, but cannot be prioritised. I am still puzzled as to how Skype cost $8billion. FYI Motorola Mobility had 24,500 patents when it was launched.…
This is probably going to make some of the other handset manufacturers (HTC, Sony-Ericsson, etc) complain about Motorola having an unfair advantage when it comes to implementing Android. Wonder if any of them are about to regret basing their smartphone offerings on Android? The move ought to strengthen the competition among the handsets, though, as Google can now ship their "dream-version" of an Android-phone.
They're a competitor, yeah, but I doubt Googorola will be pumping out huge volumes of phones for every segment of the non-dumbphone market like HTC does, and HTC still pumps out Windows phones, too. I doubt they'll be shy about picking up another OS if a good one comes along, either.
I think HTC worries a lot more about Apple+iOS than they do about Motorola+Android. And they have an established friendly relationship with Google, I don't see that suddenly vanishing. It's not like they threw a fit when Google went to Samsung for the next Nexus phone.
If Google hope to get better vertical integration it's my guess they are in for a surprise.
On the surface these acquisitions always sound like they are a good idea. Combine X strenght with Y strenght.
In reality you have two very strong cultures that have to work together. That's simply not going to happen.
Vertical integration is not just a question of having the skill all the way down to manufacturing. It's even more about being able to carry a design vision all the way trough.
Anyone who worked in or with a large organization know how plausible that is.