Google CEO Larry Page Comments on Motorola Purchase; So do HTC, Samsung & Others

[SwiftLegend]

I don't think that will happen. You have the best of both worlds here. Motorola pushes out a new phone every 1-2 months and Google doesn't like to push new things until they are stable as can be. Why do you think it takes so long for new Android updates? When iOS has updates, they have a bunch of incremental updates afterwards to fix the bugs they missed. Android on the other hand will have 1 or 2 major bugs on its first release and are fixed pretty quickly.

If you think about it, they really can't go wrong. Google knows how to succeed with Android and all its features and Motorola knows how to play the cell phone manufacturing game. Both companies are powerhouses and one of the top in their fields.

But if you think about it, Google has already made a phone like the iPhone. Look at the Nexus line. New phone every 6 months or so. The only difference is that the Nexus phones aren't forgotten like Apple does with it's iPhones..

 

[SwiftLegend]

In businesses like these, companies always have to tread carefully as to not tick off their customers :laugh:
Hopefully, they'll simply release a Nexus phone disguised as a Droid, so VZW can't complain. I mean, the D1 was basically a lower end N1 with a keyboard, so it's possible.

Or call it the Droid Nexus which is a pretty awesome name, but it kinda sounds like a business phone.

 

[Beardface]

HTC, Samsung, LG, and Sony/Ericsson are all saying the right things for the time being as they evaluate where the new market environment is heading.

Google might be saying the right things for now, but lets be honest, I'll believe it when I see it. As I said in the other thread, you don't provide a service, or a platform for a variety of manufacturers to run their devices on, purchase the largest of those manufacturers for a very significant price, and then not expect to capitalize on it. Google now OWNS Moto Mobility. They own all the profits that the sales of these devices in stores receives. You can't tell me that this isn't going to lead to a change in their direction going forward. Going forward, Android will be developed first and foremost for the Moto platform with little to no regard to the others. Yes, Google historically has made money off advertising, but now they are in a whole new ballgame. They now own every step of the smartphone line, outside of the carriers themselves. They have the incentive to push the Moto devices out front and optimize Android for them. In fact, they would be foolish not to do so.

You're really fooling yourself if you think HTC, Samsung & Co are all happy by this merger. They might be saying the right things, but you better believe internally they're already developing Plan B, C, and D.

 

[TyrantII]

Trust me, the other hardware manufacturers will not be content licensing software from what is now their competitor - Google/Motorola. This acquisition will allow Google to provide its own captive manufacturer (Motorola) with all of the best software, gain a significant competitive advantage over the other manufacturers and (ultimately) either drive those other manufacturers to a different platform or put them out of business. It is as if Intel purchased Dell - do you think that other PC manufacturers would remain eager to purchase Intel chips? The only reason to buy from a competitor is if no other choice exists - this is business school 101. HTC and others, while currently saying nice things about the acquisition, are busy evaluating their alternatives to Google.

LoL. Good luck putting the worms back in that can. Once they let the iPhone on a network, they killed any chance to control both the hardware and software going forward.

 

[jroc]

^Like I mentioned in the other thread since the same thing might happen when Nokia starts making WP7 phones...And MS already basically said Nokia will be almost given free reign to do what they want with their WP7 phones....they might have to scratch Plan B and go to C and D.

So....question to Samsung, HTC and the rest....which situation looks the best to them?

 

[shakes268]

You don't spend $12.5 billion to continue business as usual.

 

[TyrantII]

Going forward, Android will be developed first and foremost for the Moto platform with little to no regard to the others.

I think you got it backwards.

They're going to continue developing the OS as they see fit, but now we have a manufacture that will be actively building phones exactly to best OS specs. Most manufactures have still been trying to use their old business model of piecemeal, planned hardware upgrades that follow their own profit forecasts, not driven by the technology. With this acquisition, that's abut to change unless they want to be left behind.

The first change happened when apple released, the second when android released, and now this is the final push to get them to disgaurd that antiqued, anti-customer business model.

 

[Juicemane]

HTC, Samsung, LG, and Sony/Ericsson are all saying the right things for the time being as they evaluate where the new market environment is heading.

Google might be saying the right things for now, but lets be honest, I'll believe it when I see it. As I said in the other thread, you don't provide a service, or a platform for a variety of manufacturers to run their devices on, purchase the largest of those manufacturers for a very significant price, and then not expect to capitalize on it. Google now OWNS Moto Mobility. They own all the profits that the sales of these devices in stores receives. You can't tell me that this isn't going to lead to a change in their direction going forward. Going forward, Android will be developed first and foremost for the Moto platform with little to no regard to the others. Yes, Google historically has made money off advertising, but now they are in a whole new ballgame. They now own every step of the smartphone line, outside of the carriers themselves. They have the incentive to push the Moto devices out front and optimize Android for them. In fact, they would be foolish not to do so.

You're really fooling yourself if you think HTC, Samsung & Co are all happy by this merger. They might be saying the right things, but you better believe internally they're already developing Plan B, C, and D.

You guys are looking at this all wrong. Google will not shoot themselves in the foot. The IP Portfolio is worth more then what Moto Mobility profits per year. Yes, I'm sure Moto devices will start shipping with updated versions of Android, and I do see big changes for Moto as a separate company, but they are hardly the biggest device manufacture for android (not globally anyways). Google wants everyone in the world to have their search engine, Android is just another way to make that happen. The more Google services people use, the more money they generate.

Here are some fun facts for you:

Google made $30Billion last year.
MotoMobility made $12Billion.

Now this was not profit, just pure gross, but I promise you, Google turned a much higher profit

Don't worry about it, Google is not in this for the money, they want the patents, and they want to save the sinking ship (yes, moto is sinking) that launched Android to the masses.

 

[bppump911]

LoL. Good luck putting the worms back in that can. Once they let the iPhone on a network, they killed any chance to control both the hardware and software going forward.

I'm not sure where either the "LoL" or the iPhone reference are relevant to my comment. The business casebooks are filled with examples of companies that have been forced to divest businesses that their major customers view as competitive. For example, not too long ago a major supplier of hospital equipment was forced to sell its free-standing surgical centers, because the surgical centers competed with the same hospitals that were the customers of the supply business. Perhaps you could clarify your disagreement with my comment.

 

[Beardface]

You guys are looking at this all wrong. Google will not shoot themselves in the foot. The IP Portfolio is worth more then what Moto Mobility profits per year. Yes, I'm sure Moto devices will start shipping with updated versions of Android, and I do see big changes for Moto as a separate company, but they are hardly the biggest device manufacture for android (not globally anyways). Google wants everyone in the world to have their search engine, Android is just another way to make that happen. The more Google services people use, the more money they generate.

Here are some fun facts for you:

Google made $30Billion last year.
MotoMobility made $12Billion.

Now this was not profit, just pure gross, but I promise you, Google turned a much higher profit

Don't worry about it, Google is not in this for the money, they want the patents, and they want to save the sinking ship (yes, moto is sinking) that launched Android to the masses.

You don't spend $12B on one entity and allow it to play on the same level playing field with everyone else that is currently running and will continue to run your operating system. When you control the hardware AND software of one entity, you don't just sit back and allow it to "compete" with all the other devices that are also running your software. No, you design from the ground up so that your hardware/software combo devices far outperform the software-only entities.

Why continue to develop with the intentions of giving consumers a possible ideal situation where they purchase another manufacturer's device and allow them to get the profits from that when you can make your own devices so streamlined and optimized with the OS and hardware working flawlessly in your own devices to the point where your devices are the only logical Android purchase to make. The number of Android phones out there would be the same, but instead of splitting the profits of all smartphone sales, you get them all to yourself.

You don't spend $12Billion and expect to not do that. $12Million, ok, then you were just purchasing patents. $12Billion? No, you're out to change the game.

 

[regkilla]

Bring on the change!

 

[bppump911]

The new battle is Apple v. Google/Motorola. All of the other players have been marginalized.

 

[Snow02]

Most manufactures have still been trying to use their old business model of piecemeal, planned hardware upgrades that follow their own profit forecasts, not driven by the technology.

What does this even mean? It's driving me nuts trying to figure out what you're talking about here.

 

[jroc]

You don't spend $12.5 billion to continue business as usual.

You don't spend $12B on one entity and allow it to play on the same level playing field with everyone else that is currently running and will continue to run your operating system. When you control the hardware AND software of one entity, you don't just sit back and allow it to "compete" with all the other devices that are also running your software. No, you design from the ground up so that your hardware/software combo devices far outperform the software-only entities.

Why continue to develop with the intentions of giving consumers a possible ideal situation where they purchase another manufacturer's device and allow them to get the profits from that when you can make your own devices so streamlined and optimized with the OS and hardware working flawlessly in your own devices to the point where your devices are the only logical Android purchase to make. The number of Android phones out there would be the same, but instead of splitting the profits of all smartphone sales, you get them all to yourself.

You don't spend $12Billion and expect to not do that. $12Million, ok, then you were just purchasing patents. $12Billion? No, you're out to change the game.

Well...yall do make a point...lol

 

[pwrdbykyank]

if i wanted to email someone in corporate google or whoever i would need to, to ask about future plans with motorola, how would i get in contact with them? i cant seem to find any email addresses.