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Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

reuters.com

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Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#11
Google looks a lot smarter to me now. They paid way too much for Motorola Mobility just to get the patents. Maybe they were forced to buy a bunch of stuff they didn't want? It makes sense to recoup as much of the money as they can by selling off what they didn't even want.

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#12
Slightly disappointed this is happening, Google having its own place to start really getting invested in consumer hardware seemed like a good thing (getting "pure" experiences without having to pay top dollar). I got the Moto G and it's probably one of the better value propositions out there.

I wonder how things will go with Lenovo in charge.

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#13
post #7

Huge announcement if true, and if this accounts for the entirety of the Motorola purchase that Google made. That means that in less than two years, Google shredded 85% of the $13bn paid for Motorola. At the time, the high price paid was excused for the patents, because the business itself did not generate nearly enough earnings to justify the price. Now, if it is true that the patents are part of the deal (the articl…

> It's also a big statement on Google's ability to succeed in the hardware market, where they've never seemed to be able to gain real success despite their attempts with notebooks and phones.

And Google TV. Let's not forget that huge failure.

"By the summer of 2012, the majority of the televisions you see in stores will have Google TV embedded in it." -Eric Schmidt

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#14
Wow, that seems... sudden. If the Motorola Mobility purchase was meant to be strategic (and surely a purchase that big was), how could they have possibly had time to implement that strategy and truly gauge its effectiveness?

I'd say this announcement, if true, is downright shocking. Not saying it's wrong, mind you, just that it's very, very surprising. At least from the Google perspective.

Now, Lenovo, OTOH, this seems to fit the "PC Plus" view very well. If this is true, it could be a huge win for Lenovo.

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#15

Very odd news. Was looking forward to seeing what Google could do with their weight thrown behind hardware.

I'm curious as to what exactly Lenovo is getting out of the deal. I hear good things about the new Motorola phones, but is the midlevel handset business really that attractive a one? I doubt HTC or Sony are feeling particularly good about their exposure to it.

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#17
post #9
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost certainly. Still, surely the patents aren't worth $9B are they?

The article suggests that 10,000 patents are part of the deal. I'm not sure if that's the same number as were originally purchased, but I have to think it's the lion's share of them.

I'm sure there's something in the deal for Google to at least retain rights to use the patents. Likewise Lenovo wouldn't buy Motorola without the patents.

Re: Lenovo to buy Google's Motorola handset division

#19
post #7

Huge announcement if true, and if this accounts for the entirety of the Motorola purchase that Google made. That means that in less than two years, Google shredded 85% of the $13bn paid for Motorola. At the time, the high price paid was excused for the patents, because the business itself did not generate nearly enough earnings to justify the price. Now, if it is true that the patents are part of the deal (the articl…

> Now, if it is true that the patents are part of the deal (the article states they are)

It says "certain patents", which would suggest a minor amount.

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