As beneficial as it may be for Google to own a hardware business (giving it a significant source of revenue other than its current advertisement-dependent model), it seems that the acquisition of Motorola's sizeable patent portfolio is a major (perhaps even
the major) reason for the deal.
Here's what Larry Page said:
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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.
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And regarding how this will affect other manufacturers who have adopted Android:
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This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android's success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.
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And the reaction from others is not too bad so far, though it is weirdly similar. Is Page having them read from a teleprompter?
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Peter Chou, CEO, HTC:
We welcome the news of today's acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.
Bert Nordberg, President & CEO, Sony Ericsson:
I welcome Google's commitment to defending Android and its partners.
Jong-Seok Park, President & CEO, LG:
We welcome Google's commitment to defending Android and its partners.
J.K. Shin, President, Samsung, Mobile Communications Division:
We welcome today's news, which demonstrates Google's deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.
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