As long as Google was content and happy to stay exclusively in the software-Operating System business their many OEM partners were fat, fine and happy .
They all benefited greatly from Google’s willingness to license Android to just about anyone and everyone equally.
The recent announcement that Google is about toplunk down a huge fortune said to be as much as $12.5 Billion dollars to acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings surely makes them shiver in shear fear wondering if Google is getting ready to step up their game and play competively in the device sandbox and wind up changing the name of the game or the rules of the game.
Numerous companies, HTC included, have profited very nicely making handsets and smartphones running Google’s free Android operating system. But the shocking, devestating news that Google will soon probably be in the hardware device business in a big way is sure to cause both panic and concern among Google’s primary hardware manufacturing partners.
This all must great news to Microsoft who is hoping to attract those manufacturers and developers to the Windows phone platform, and to HP also looking to draw them to HP’s WebOS.
What seems pretty certain is that Google most likely will be going head-to-head with former partners so it will be no small task to convince them that things won’t change.”
Certainly we will closely follow this story.
The deal will first have to pass probes and regularatory scruitiny which might just take as long as a year. We should also keep an eye on how Apple responds to this new development and what effect it will have on the market dominant iPhone/iPad ecosystem.
Some believe that Google may be inheriting Motorola problems ranging from tepid device success to having lost serious market share and experiencing problems with delayed product releases.
Google on the other hand is flush with talent and might be able to right the ship.
Addendum: It turns out that mighty Microsoft was also in the running and in talks with Motorola, but as it turned out Google had bigger eyes, and a bigger appetite for Motorola and their many patents.
… Are we ready for a Google Droit?