Why they bought Motorola
According to Om Malik, “Motorola was in acquisition talks with several parties, including Microsoft.” This may have forced Google’s hand, given all their recent patent troubles. This makes the deal more comprehensible to me, because I don’t see how it directly support’s Google’s overall goals for Android: to get its search products on everyone’s phone. This is how Om puts it:
My view is that while Google might have won the battle, in the long run it has put the Android ecosystem at risk. Mobile industry insiders view this as a ray of hope for Windows Mobile Phone 7 to sign-up the disillusioned handset makers who at this point must be reworking their mobile OS strategies.
My sentiments exactly. How can Samsung or HTC hope to make the next killer Android device when Google has their own hardware team? And without that potential, how invested are they going to be in the platform? Then again, if Microsoft goes ahead and buys Nokia outright, they might not have any good choices.
