Out of pretty much nowhere, Google has purchased mobile company Motorola for $12.5 billion.
Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem. That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.
Motorola’s total commitment to Android in mobile devices is one of many reasons that there is a natural fit between our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere.
The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders.
This is an interesting move from Google. It looks like we might finally see a real Google Phone that is not only powered by Android but has Google written all over the hardware.
This move is also sure to raise an eyebrow from other mobile phone companies that license Android to power their Smart Phones. How can Google both power Smart Phones and also compete in the Smart Phone market with their partners?
In a closing statement from Larry Page, he parted a shot at both Microsoft & Apple over their aggressive patenting in recent years.
We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
