Are you sure set top boxes are part of Motorola Mobility?
Edit: you're right. They could do some epic stuf... http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/
Apple doesn't care about market share. Well it does care but it doesn't care that it's not #1. If Apple wanted to be #1, they would be releasing variants of the iPhone. Think of it this way, Apple has released 1 iPhone a year. Android is on ~100s of phones a year. I would be hoping that there are more Android phones than iPhones.
People will continue to overpay for iPhones, by licensing iOS you stop Android market share growth.
But you guys are probably right...stupid move.
I hope Google is sending a clear message to their hardware partners that this will strengthen their partnership.
I'm really not trying to be an Apple apologist here, but, when you have a goodly chunk of the market, you sell virtually every device you can make and have insane earnings, marketshare isn't that big of a deal. As an Apple investor, I'd be thrilled if Apple had more of a % f the market, but what the heck, they do ok.
Licensing the OS would bring fragmentation to the platform, and although you don't see much about iOS fragmentation, it's there, there are essentially 3 versions of the iPhone now 3GS AT&T (GSM), iP4 AT&T (GSM), iP4 Verizon (CDMA) (plus if you add the varying amounts of memory in the devices, it complicates matters) and unless Apple starts using multiple radios in each phone (which has been rumored, but adds to the cost of each phone, something Apple hates to do). Look for them to kill the 3GS to help avoid fragmentation after the iP5 is released, and there are rumors of an inexpensive pre paid iPhone variant to be released soon.
I'm really not trying to be an Apple apologist here, but, when you have a goodly chunk of the market, you sell virtually every device you can make and have insane earnings, marketshare isn't that big of a deal. As an Apple investor, I'd be thrilled if Apple had more of a % f the market, but what the heck, they do ok.
Licensing the OS would bring fragmentation to the platform, and although you don't see much about iOS fragmentation, it's there, there are essentially 3 versions of the iPhone now 3GS AT&T (GSM), iP4 AT&T (GSM), iP4 Verizon (CDMA) (plus if you add the varying amounts of memory in the devices, it complicates matters) and unless Apple starts using multiple radios in each phone (which has been rumored, but adds to the cost of each phone, something Apple hates to do). Look for them to kill the 3GS to help avoid fragmentation after the iP5 is released, and there are rumors of an inexpensive pre paid iPhone variant to be released soon.
the VZW iphone is a new radio chip that supports cdma/umts/hspa and everything else except LTE on the same chip. different radios for different carriers is a thing of the past
Or maybe just misdirection, like Google's bids at the Nortel auction.In hindsight, all the Motorola noise about being open to licensing WP7, and ready to sue other Android vendors seems like an old fashioned shakedown of Google for more dough.
Wouldn't that suggest that they are converging towards further fragmentation?
I don't disagree that their current model is working out for them, but I just have to wonder "what if" at the beginning they had gone the shotgun route what the mobile landscape would look like.
In hindsight, all the Motorola noise about being open to licensing WP7, and ready to sue other Android vendors seems like an old fashioned shakedown of Google for more dough.
As far as the patent wars, MS and Apple have cases pending against Moto, this does very little to the patent cases... If they weren't afraid of going after Moto before, how does this change the landscape?
Hmmm... I dunno, am beginning to think this was poorly thought out by Google. Time will tell.
The Oracle case has always had legs, and there are some issues with the GPL now...
Some interesting reactions from other players (from TIMN)
Samsung : We welcome todays news, which demonstrates Googles deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.
HTC: We welcome the news of todays acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.
S-E: I welcome Googles commitment to defending Android and its partners.
LG: We welcome Googles commitment to defending Android and its partners.
Hmmmm...
What else can they say? Samsung's highest rated phone is an Android model, as is HTC's. More focus on Android means more potential sales.
Does this make him the world's most successful patent troll? Because as far as actually running a business making mobile devices, he sucked.Sanjay likely just became richer than god
Does this make him the world's most successful patent troll? Because as far as actually running a business making mobile devices, he sucked.
Yea, the Droid wasn't successful at all. And Motorola totally filed for their patent to create the cell phone in 2009.
It's hard to imagine that it would've been any better for Apple than it is now. Apple completely dominates the smartphone market when it comes to profit share. Apple rakes in 66% of the total smartphone profits even though they "only" sell 25% of the phones (see http://www.conceivablytech.com/8572/business/apple-captures-66-of-smartphone-profit-share )
Apple's strategy has never been about market share. For the last decade, their strategy has been to sell a small selection of high-quality products with large profit margins. (Remember "Microsoft doesn't have to lose in order for us to win" ?) It wouldn't help Apple to have HTC, Samsung, etc. selling lower-cost iPhone clones.
On the patent front, I fail to see how obtaining Motorola's portfolio gives Google any more of a standing against Oracle. Perhaps it'll help fending off Apple, Microsoft and co, but... what does it exactly do to Oracle? If Oracle has a case, they can still shut Android down in a heartbeat, or impose some serious limitations that would make Android no longer as free.