Related
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/54903-is-motorola-getting-ready-to-ditch-android
The article makes several key points:
"Android isn't turning out to be profitable for any company other than Google and even Google's numbers look less than reliable. There are 37 lawsuits on this platform since the beginning of 2010 many filed against companies like Motorola and complaints from the OEM on Google's responsiveness to their concerns are both common and strident," he explained.
"They are not happy and a review of all of this is what pushed HP to buy Palm and avoid Android all together
You have to consider why a company like Motorola would chose to support, or not support an OS - things may not be all that rosy for Google Experience Devices, in fact it sounds like companies like Motorola may actually resent Googles interference, and what they percieve as an inequitable distribution of profit (into Googles Pocket) on these devices.
Developing an operating system isn't something a company "just decides" to do. It takes years, then you have to get the hardware vendors to make systems for it, and the software guys to make software for it. HP already have an OS in WebOS; ditto RIM. Are they swimming in dev love right now?
>"Android isn't turning out to be profitable for any company other than Google"
Moto was near death after the Razr petered out, and was resuscitated back to life with the Droid series. Last I looked, its financials look a lot better than it was before its Android push. Ditto for HTC, which is now riding on a wave of cash. You can check on others.
Every for-profit company in the world is doing things to make...a profit. If it's not profitable, nobody would do it. Now, look at the rate of Android adoption for smartphones. Think all of those vendors are looking to lose money?
The trouble with holding Internet pundits as gospel is that they, like any for-profit entity, don't necessarily care about the facts as they do about sensationalizing them, even to the extent of spouting fibs. The more attention a blog post gets, the more hits, and the more ad revenue. Sad as it is to say, but truth and facts can be boring, and embellishment sells.
I think its all in the informations source. Wasn't there an article a month or two back that essentially discussed exactly how profitable Android is? Essentially calling it Google's most profitable venture ever for both themselves and their partners.
I think the proof is in handset shipments and growth. What is HTC's shipment growth over the past 2 years? Something in the neighborhood of 200%? and their projection is for a 300% increase over that this year? Those handset sales are driven primarily by Android. If they aren't making a profit on those handsets then they would have been unprofitable no matter what, because their prices wouldn't have changed. Whether it be Windows Mobile,Android or Brand Z their new handset is still going to be in the neighborhood of 599-650, so its their responsibility to make sure that price point is profitable for them. I don't see them being able to complain about slow growth since the sales growth and acceptance for the Android platform is pretty much meteoric.
I hardly see Motorola complaining about Android considering it and Verizon essentially saved them from becoming the next Nokia, a brand no one in America cares about. Are they hedging their bets? Possibly. Abandoning Android right now or in the foreseeable future though? I would say absolutely not.
Without Android, its pretty easy to say that Motorola and HTC would be in far worse financial shape than increasing their shipments and profits every quarter than they currently are. (Samsung not so much, they could have continued to be the OEM supplier for screens to HTC/Other brands who want to make phones) But in fact it was so profitable it encouraged Samsung to jump into the market themselves instead of just supplying parts. It gave those companies an instant way to compete with iOS.
Motorola announced today it sold 8.3 million handsets in the second quarter, earning the Mobile Devices division $1.7 billion in sales, and returning the unit to profitability after several quarters of losses. Over 2.7 million smartphones were part of Motorola’s overall handset sales, showing the vast growth in this segment, as the company reported zero smartphone sales in the same quarter in 2009. Although Motorola quarterly results don’t specifically name the biggest catalyst for such a change, it can be summarized in one word: Android.
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Thats from July of 2010. So from losses to profit, I can hardly see how that "wouldn't be turning out profitable" for them.
e.mote said:
Developing an operating system isn't something a company "just decides" to do. It takes years, then you have to get the hardware vendors to make systems for it, and the software guys to make software for it. HP already have an OS in WebOS; ditto RIM. Are they swimming in dev love right now?
>"Android isn't turning out to be profitable for any company other than Google"
Moto was near death after the Razr petered out, and was resuscitated back to life with the Droid series. Last I looked, its financials look a lot better than it was before its Android push. Ditto for HTC, which is now riding on a wave of cash. You can check on others.
Every for-profit company in the world is doing things to make...a profit. If it's not profitable, nobody would do it. Now, look at the rate of Android adoption for smartphones. Think all of those vendors are looking to lose money?
The trouble with holding Internet pundits as gospel is that they, like any for-profit entity, don't necessarily care about the facts as they do about sensationalizing them, even to the extent of spouting fibs. The more attention a blog post gets, the more hits, and the more ad revenue. Sad as it is to say, but truth and facts can be boring, and embellishment sells.
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You both make good points.
Thats when these boards work best. When people actually think through all the facets of a topic and don't just devolve into an Apple good/Android Bad rant.
However, in response to the comment: "Developing an operating system isn't something a company "just decides" to do. "
Certainly it is,
ANDROID is an operating system developed by a company called Google, that just "decided" to create an OS to compete with Apple.
That in turn was developed from an OS called Linux developed by Torvalds as an open source alternative to Windows.
Or take Windows Phone 7 - A company called Microsoft "Just decided to develop" and OS from the ground up to compete with Apple.
Problem isn't developing an OS, problem is marketing it and developing Apps.
Edit: I agree with you that that this is virtually impossible for Motorola. But I would have thought it impossible for HP too and yet, they had the creative insight to buy palm, and now they are doing it. Probably will crash and burn, but bottom line is: They DID abandon android.
Digital Man said:
ANDROID is an operating system developed by a company called Google, that just "decided" to create an OS to compete with Apple.
Or take Windows Phone 7 - A company called Microsoft "Just decided to develop" and OS from the ground up to compete with Apple.
Problem isn't developing an OS, problem is marketing it and developing Apps.
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I hope you understand that there difference between software companies deciding to make software and hardware companies deciding to make software.
Microsoft and Google already had experience and infrastructure in place to create new software. Motorola will be starting with...nothing. That is why Palm was purchased by HP, they needed a leg up on software experience to make new software development practical.
_RTFM_ said:
I hope you understand that there difference between software companies deciding to make software and hardware companies deciding to make software.
Microsoft and Google already had experience and infrastructure in place to create new software. Motorola will be starting with...nothing. That is why Palm was purchased by HP, they needed a leg up on software experience to make new software development practical.
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Knew that one was coming. Thats why companies hire employess. Thats why companies buy other companies.
Thats why companies like HP which are HARDWARE companies buy companies like Palm which are SOFTWARE companies. Whatever it takes to get the job done.
Programmers are people, they can walk from software companies over to the building where the hardware company is located and start working there, on a shiny new OS as soon as they are hired or aquired.
Edit: Might I also point out that Google started as a search engine, not a software company either.
Digital Man said:
Knew that one was coming. Thats why companies hire employess. Thats why companies buy other companies.
Thats why companies like HP which are HARDWARE companies buy companies like Palm which are SOFTWARE companies. Whatever it takes to get the job done.
Programmers are people, they can walk from software companies over to the building where the hardware company is located and start working there, on a shiny new OS as soon as they are hired or aquired.
Edit: Might I also point out that Google started as a search engine, not a software company either.
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...ok, but in order for them to walk over there they need to be PAID, and an entire new wing of R&D needs to be built to support them. This is a massive investment that is VERY high risk that takes a long time.
Oh you're right, I had no clue Google started as a search engine. That means they are and have always been a software company. Just because "engine" is in the phrase doesn't mean it isn't software
_RTFM_ said:
...ok, but in order for them to walk over there they need to be PAID, and an entire new wing of R&D needs to be built to support them. This is a massive investment that is VERY high risk that takes a long time.
Oh you're right, I had no clue Google started as a search engine. That means they are and have always been a software company. Just because "engine" is in the phrase doesn't mean it isn't software
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Sarcasm aside, no, I'm still not sure a search engine is the same as a hardware operating system....
Her is a good article supporting the alternative point of view however:
Moto ditching Android: Silly Rumor
http://androidcommunity.com/motorola-developing-own-os-silly-rumor-20110325/
Note this line: Motorola is working on their own OS? What? Back that up. Several blogs are putting forth the rumor that Motorola’s friendship with Google is waning and that the cellphone manufacturer has been quietly hiring Apple and Adobe engineers with the aim of developing their own platform OS to compete with Android.
Note the part about quietly hiring from Apple and Adobe.
I honestly don't have a strong opinion one way or the other here. I am primarily playing Devils Advocate by throwing the orignal topic out here for discussion, as it is something that people have been talking about quite a bit on Motorola hardware boards.
I was curious to see other peoples points of view on the story-rumor.
Here is an interesting article about why Google might not care if Android ever makes money.
Android May Be the Greatest Legal Destruction of Wealth in History [Android]
TOP STORIES IN TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 25, 2011
http://gizmodo.com/#!5785983/android-may-be-the-greatest-legal-destruction-of-wealth-in-history
tinpusher said:
Here is an interesting article about why Google might not care if Android ever makes money.
Android May Be the Greatest Legal Destruction of Wealth in History [Android]
TOP STORIES IN TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 25, 2011
http://gizmodo.com/#!5785983/android-may-be-the-greatest-legal-destruction-of-wealth-in-history
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Thanks for posting this.
I have to laugh. I started this thread, and in effect was accused of being a conspiracy theorist wearing a tin-foil hat. So it makes me feel better knowing that the guys over at Gizmodo have some pretty shiny head-gear as well.
If Motorola leaves the Android community they would be shooting themselves in the foot. I really have a hard time believing Moto would be that stupid.
Where were they before Android? On the brink of death. Leaving now is suicide. Companies really need to stop thinking they are Apple. Apple is the exception to that proves rule.
If they took all the money they put into this rumored OS and sunk it into a better blur (or option to disable blur), better hardware, and FAST updates... they would rule the market.
th0r615 said:
If Motorola leaves the Android community they would be shooting themselves in the foot. I really have a hard time believing Moto would be that stupid.
Where were they before Android? On the brink of death. Leaving now is suicide. Companies really need to stop thinking they are Apple. Apple is the exception to that proves rule.
If they took all the money they put into this rumored OS and sunk it into a better blur (or option to disable blur), better hardware, and FAST updates... they would rule the market.
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Oh hell, some companies like Microsoft shoot themselves in the foot on an almost daily basis. Remember the Kin phone? Here is a quote from an article by Engadget:
"While it's hard to argue that Kin is an awful product, the saddest part of the story is that many of the people responsible for it knew it was -- they were largely victims of political circumstance, forced to release a phone that was practically raw in the middle."
In the end they sold something like 500 of the things.
Remember the Dell streak releasing crippled with Android 1.6?
And then there was windows Vista....
Companies often do things that seem to make no rational business sense.
It would be crazy for them to abandon the platform that single handedly prevented them from going into bankruptcy... Motorola was doing horrible before they teamed up with Verizon and released the Droid OG. Which was an insanely popular device. Motorola should be thanking Verizon and Google for still having jobs right now...
They would be crazy to stop embracing android. Not only is it generating business like crazy (everyone has seen or heard of the enormous numbers of android products being sold, numbers that are unseating the existing leaders of the mobile os market), all indications are that android is still growing. Why abandon success?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Actually it's as simple as this.. Would you abandon an OS that has the second largest apps for mobile? It would be dumb for any company to do such a thing.. I mean think about it.. What other choices do you have?? WM7, RIM, Palm etc?? It would take years for them to catch up, apps wise.. Right now, what makes these phone manufacturer tick, is the apps behind it.. Hence, that's the reason why I chose Android when I left iphone.. The apps.. So I don't think Motorola would abandon Android and jump ship anytime soon.. Or at all, for that matter..
Yeah I agree. I don't see this happening anytime soon, if at all. Especially looking within a few years down the road.
Motorola should just concentrate on making better quality hardware and leave th software to people who know what they are doing. Motorola use to mean quality, now it's just another phone maker in a sea of the same devices running the same software with nothing really revolutionary to offer buyers. If moto could make an android device with the quality of their razor they would destroy the competition.
The rumor that Moto is hiring software egr's has a glimmer of truth (and subsequently embellished for tabloid consumption). Moto is learning that there is a downside to the Android gravy train, which every co and its sister is jumping onto, and that is lack of differentiation.
Co's are trying different things. Asus is doing the integrated keyboard with the Transformer. HTC has the active digitizer where you can use a stylus. Archos is leaning on its PMP roots with strong multimedia support. But for the majority, differentiation will be minimal (mostly a custom GUI). The main determinant will be price. In other words, Android tabs will be commodity status very soon. This is good for the consumers, but not for the vendors.
This isn't the smartphone market any more, where supply is constrained by the carriers playing as gatekeepers. Price competition will be intense, and slapping on a custom GUI (as has been the practice for smartphones) will no longer be enough. Premium brands in smartphones do not automatically translate to the tablet market.
It'll be a free-for-all. And the guys that win will be those with the best value-add, brand strength, and distribution muscle. For the first, you need software peeps. Which is why Moto is stocking up.
Digital Man said:
Might I also point out that Google started as a search engine, not a software company either.
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This sentence does not make any sense
hi_its_ryan said:
This sentence does not make any sense
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Just saying that something doesn't make sense isn't very helpful. Try explaining WHY it doesn't make sense.
That would add something to the discussion.
http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html
Game changer? Thoughts as to what it means for us xoomers?
I was coming to post this as well.. Friggin sweet... The true Google device..
dubsjw27 said:
http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html
Game changer? Thoughts as to what it means for us xoomers?
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Wow. This one is being reported all across the interwebs at the moment.
First of all if I were HTC and Samsung I would be LIVID right now. Both companies have stacked a lot of chips on Android and may now be seeing that as not as sure a bet as they thought. It would make sense for Google to now keep its flagship devices "in house" and have them made by Moto Mobile. This is going to freeze both companies out of the plum position of producing the concept devices for each new version of Android.
What does this foretell for the future? First of all I would not be surprised to see both HTC and Samsung trying to repair connections with Microsoft, and looking again at making a larger commitment to Windows Phone 7.
For we Xoom users, it heavily improves the odds of us seeing an official ICS release by the end of the year. That was already likely since the Xoom was being used to demo the software, but now will be even more so.
Interesting days ahead.
It gives me a little more confidence that the xoom won't be left behind as quickly as we all thought it would be.
Great move for all Android partners
If anything, this protects HTC and Samsung's Android business from patents claims against them. Google will use it's new patent muscle as a deterrent. Google stated Motorola will be a licensee just like the others. I'm sure all new GED's will be Moto but I doubt the influence will extend much beyond that.
Well, I want this:
Motorola has a lot of patents on mobile / smartphone technology.
So, I want Google to use those patents to protect Android!
I don't know how ... but I dreamed this to shut up that Apple patent troll.
Probably, Google intention was mainly for Motorola patents.
linuxdood said:
If anything, this protects HTC and Samsung's Android business from patents claims against them. Google will use it's new patent muscle as a deterrent. Google stated Motorola will be a licensee just like the others. I'm sure all new GED's will be Moto but I doubt the influence will extend much beyond that.
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I agree that this is a good move in the long-term for Android as a platform...but I think you underestimate the influence that being the sole source of GEDs will give Moto. They will be the glass of fashion.
Google will continue to provide the software to all it's partners, sure...but I think we are coming up very swiftly on a new synthesis of hardware and software...basically the Apple model accepted as the norm. Apple vs Google/Moto vs Microsoft/Nokia.
My question now is...who buys RIM. My guess is Microsoft.
Well, my day just got better.
Google has been outspoken about unlockable bootloaders. Could this mean all upcoming Google/Motorola devices will be fully unlockable?
Moto blur is now officially killed
How sweet ...
UPDATE:
So, the purchase is to defend Android ...
Update: More quotes from Android partners after the break.
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.
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Maybe they will purchase htc, samsung, etc.....
I expect this kind of news in the future:
GOOGLE is suing Apple for some (Motorola) patents infringement.
Then in negotiation:
Apple: So, what's now? How do we settle?
Google: Easy, drop all your lousy law suits on Android manufacturers
That would be epic!
armychris28210 said:
Maybe they will purchase htc, samsung, etc.....
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Yes! And then they will concentrate on one phone, to make it perfect with all their new know how. To enhance the security they get rid of the open source ****, and make it perfectly usable and easy by integrating it to Google Music as the only way to put music on the device. It will be called the GPhone and it will...ohhh...wait...
gogol said:
UPDATE:
So, the purchase is to defend Android ...
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Well it certainly is, at least partially. Patents are the big deal these days.
However, as for the parts of the deal that are about getting an in house hardware maker being downplayed...what else are the brass of HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG going to say?
It reminds me of the losers on The Bachelor "He totally like made the right choice...I really think this is for the best and hope they will be very happy...."
We will see how they really feel if the announcements of additional WM7 phones start picking up speed.
>First of all if I were HTC and Samsung I would be LIVID right now.
Co-opetition is the nature of business (and a lot of other areas). Things are always more complicated than the black-or-white, friend-or-foe picture people try to paint. MS is in with Nokia, but other co's are still making WP7 phones. It all depends on what makes sense (read: profit).
That the deal happens is not because of Moto Mobo's hardware capability, but for its patent portfolio.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903392904576509953821437960.html
>It would make sense for Google to now keep its flagship devices "in house" and have them made by Moto Mobile.
No, it doesn't. That would go against everything that it has built Android to be, which is an "open", device- (and vendor-) agnostic OS. If it wants to destroy Android, that would be the surest way to go about it.
>For we Xoom users, it heavily improves the odds of us seeing an official ICS release by the end of the year.
I don't see it changes the picture any wrt the Xoom. As a GED device (for US model), the odds were always in favor of Xoom getting official ICS--and for most Teg2 tabs from major vendors, for that matter.
The acquisition will take place over some months, long after the Xoom has come and gone. I don't see Moto getting any "nicer" with supporting the Xoom just because it will be part of Goog. The Xoom is just one of many Moto products, and its replacements are already in the pipe.
e.mote said:
No, it doesn't. That would go against everything that it has built Android to be, which is an "open", device- (and vendor-) agnostic OS. If it wants to destroy Android, that would be the surest way to go about it.
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That is not completely accurate. Google has always selected one vendor for each version to develop the flagship GED device. The vendors have competed heavily to get those contracts since they involved a lot of interaction with the software design team and a leg up on smooth integration.
Now, it will make sense for Moto to have those prototype devices, as it means that Google will be able to control the process even further.
Android is vendor-agnostic, but each version has always had one vendor who was first amongst equals...and that will now be Moto.
RonnieFoxxx said:
Google has been outspoken about unlockable bootloaders. Could this mean all upcoming Google/Motorola devices will be fully unlockable?
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Unlocked, not unlockable!
>Now, it will make sense for Moto to have those prototype devices, as it means that Google will be able to control the process even further.
I don't see this as a big deal. Having the Xoom released first didn't help Moto any wrt to sales, nor was having a GED a benefit to the user experience. Xoom users do get updates a bit faster, but other devices have value-added functionality (eg SD card, Splashtop, etc) that the Xoom lacks, OOB.
As far as "controlling the experience," that remains to be seen. It's hard to say with this 1st-gen as a gauge, as HC has been an ongoing beta for ICS. We'll have to see what Goog will do with its newly acquired hardware arm. I think it should be emphasized that the acquisition is more to shore up its patent stash than to "control the Android experience." Goog's failed 6.5B attempt to acquire Nortel's patents is indicative of its need in this area.
rschenck said:
Wow. This one is being reported all across the interwebs at the moment.
First of all if I were HTC and Samsung I would be LIVID right now. Both companies have stacked a lot of chips on Android and may now be seeing that as not as sure a bet as they thought. It would make sense for Google to now keep its flagship devices "in house" and have them made by Moto Mobile. This is going to freeze both companies out of the plum position of producing the concept devices for each new version of Android.
What does this foretell for the future? First of all I would not be surprised to see both HTC and Samsung trying to repair connections with Microsoft, and looking again at making a larger commitment to Windows Phone 7.
For we Xoom users, it heavily improves the odds of us seeing an official ICS release by the end of the year. That was already likely since the Xoom was being used to demo the software, but now will be even more so.
Interesting days ahead.
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Don't be silly, android is an open source project device manufacturers will still be able to put their customizations out and will still be shipping phones with old versions of android. This deal will have no impact on android device manufacturers other then patent protection
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
I know I may have some of my facts wrong here, just correct me if I'm wrong.
Since Google bought out Motorola Mobility a while back, wouldn't it make more sense for them to be using Motorola for the "Nexus" phones? Why would they want to team up with Samsung to make something they could do themselves?
Companies "bid" for the opportunity to make the nexus device. Google is afterall a corporate entity. Why would they want to screw themselves out of more money if it was there for the taking?
I do however think it will be better for Moto devices in the long run for updates..
TreyChristopher said:
I know I may have some of my facts wrong here, just correct me if I'm wrong.
Since Google bought out Motorola Mobility a while back, wouldn't it make more sense for them to be using Motorola for the "Nexus" phones? Why would they want to team up with Samsung to make something they could do themselves?
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I've been wondering the same thing. Maybe Samsung's patented the curved display and Google's got a fetish for that?
Regardless, I'm itching to see a Moto nexus phone. Samsung left a bad taste in my mouth with the Captivate, HTC always seems to have some sort of screen/multitouch issue, SE seems like a specialty phone kind of manufacturer, LG? Eh, I probably wouldn't mind the Thrill/3D, but they have yet to prove themselves.
Motorola? I realize there was this tiff about the bootloader, but I'd rather have good, consistent build quality than a lot of other things.
The deal has not yet gone through. Why don't people do any sort of research at all before asking questions? Shareholders are voting on November 17 if the acquisition will go through or not. Secondly, Google has stated many, many times that they will not touch MotoMobility at all. They only want the patents and will not make any changes to MotoMobility's business at all. Period. Also, Samsung makes high quality devices. There's a reason they've been chosen for 2 of the 3 Nexus devices and Moto has been chosen for none. Moto has sold 4.4 million total smartphones in each the last 2 quarters. Samsung sold 30 million devices in the last quarter alone including 10 million SGS2s without even debuting in the US, one of the largest smartphone markets in the world.
From my understanding, Google has not yet purchased Motorola Mobility. The Boards of Directors of both Motorola and Google have approved of the deal but there is a long procedure to be completed in order for this deal to actually go through.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14531859
xyrovice said:
I've been wondering the same thing. Maybe Samsung's patented the curved display and Google's got a fetish for that?
Regardless, I'm itching to see a Moto nexus phone. Samsung left a bad taste in my mouth with the Captivate, HTC always seems to have some sort of screen/multitouch issue, SE seems like a specialty phone kind of manufacturer, LG? Eh, I probably wouldn't mind the Thrill/3D, but they have yet to prove themselves.
Motorola? I realize there was this tiff about the bootloader, but I'd rather have good, consistent build quality than a lot of other things.
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I don't really understand people, honestly. Motorola has always put out good quality, 100% working phones. The bootloader is unlockable if you want to mess with your phone, but something like a screen issue isn't fixable unless you get a new phone.
edgeicator said:
The deal has not yet gone through. Why don't people do any sort of research at all before asking questions? Shareholders are voting on November 17 if the acquisition will go through or not. Secondly, Google has stated many, many times that they will not touch MotoMobility at all. They only want the patents and will not make any changes to MotoMobility's business at all. Period. Also, Samsung makes high quality devices. There's a reason they've been chosen for 2 of the 3 Nexus devices and Moto has been chosen for none. Moto has sold 4.4 million total smartphones in each the last 2 quarters. Samsung sold 30 million devices in the last quarter alone including 10 million SGS2s without even debuting in the US, one of the largest smartphone markets in the world.
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If Google isn't going to touch MotoMobility, then who is running the company? -.-
TreyChristopher said:
I don't really understand people, honestly. Motorola has always put out good quality, 100% working phones. The bootloader is unlockable if you want to mess with your phone, but something like a screen issue isn't fixable unless you get a new phone.
If Google isn't going to touch MotoMobility, then who is running the company? -.-
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The same people who are running it today. No one is being fired. It was a purely patent acquisition. MotoMobility will remain as it is today. As for the bootloader, it is not unlockable unless something huge leaks. How many phones have had their bootloader unlocked since the OG Droid? 2. The Atrix and the Photon 4g, which is basically an atrix for Sprint. That's it.
1. Google doesn't officially own Motorola Mobility Yet.
2. For those of you who think that google strictly bought Motorola for patents and are not going to take advantage of Owning the Cellular division and developing with motorola before other companies is on a cloud. Of course google isn't going to "admit" that they would do that cause that would cause a semi sorta monopoly so they "Say" they aren't going to do anything for plausible deniability. I mean really come on think about it...They Own a major manufacturer of cellphones and Just want Pantents....give me a break.
malickie said:
1. Google doesn't officially own Motorola Mobility Yet.
2. For those of you who think that google strictly bought Motorola for patents and are not going to take advantage of Owning the Cellular division and developing with motorola before other companies is on a cloud. Of course google isn't going to "admit" that they would do that cause that would cause a semi sorta monopoly so they "Say" they aren't going to do anything for plausible deniability. I mean really come on think about it...They Own a major manufacturer of cellphones and Just want Pantents....give me a break.
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You're absolutely delusional. Motorola is doing so much worse than the other Android manufacturers. They stand to lose a lot if they show any favoritism to Motorola. Samsung sold 30 million smartphones last quarter. HTC Sold 13 million. Motorola sold 4.4 million. Motorola is not a major seller of smartphones. Q2 rankings were apple, samsung, nokia, rim, htc, lg, motorola, huawei, zte, other. You have no idea how business works. Plausible deniability doesn't work here. It'll be as plain as day light if Google ever favors Moto.
edgeicator said:
You're absolutely delusional. Motorola is doing so much worse than the other Android manufacturers. They stand to lose a lot if they show any favoritism to Motorola. Samsung sold 30 million smartphones last quarter. HTC Sold 13 million. Motorola sold 4.4 million. Motorola is not a major seller of smartphones. Q2 rankings were apple, samsung, nokia, rim, htc, lg, motorola, huawei, zte, other. You have no idea how business works. Plausible deniability doesn't work here. It'll be as plain as day light if Google ever favors Moto.
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Dude seriously have you ever worked in a business and have any idea what goes on behind 99% of business's doors and the shady business that goes on? I mean seriously who is delusional thinking that motorola won't take advantage of being owned by google and vice versa. There would be a Major reason for Motorola to take advantage of that considering how bad they are doing in the market and of course it will be as quite as a mouse. Both sides would deny it until blue in the face but still won't stop either from taking advantage of each other. I mean hell just look at RIM or Apple or Android for that matter all of which are in some sort of lawsuit or another for infringement on this or that patent. Would be very easy to mask any favoritism at the moment with all the BS Lawsuits going on right now.
malickie said:
Dude seriously have you ever worked in a business and have any idea what goes on behind 99% of business's doors and the shady business that goes on? I mean seriously who is delusional thinking that motorola won't take advantage of being owned by google and vice versa. There would be a Major reason for Motorola to take advantage of that considering how bad they are doing in the market and of course it will be as quite as a mouse. Both sides would deny it until blue in the face but still won't stop either from taking advantage of each other. I mean hell just look at RIM or Apple or Android for that matter all of which are in some sort of lawsuit or another for infringement on this or that patent. Would be very easy to mask any favoritism at the moment with all the BS Lawsuits going on right now.
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Yea, you definitely have no idea what you're talking about. Favoritism has nothing to do with lawsuits. They wouldn't be in trouble if they collaborated together. Fact of the matter is, HTC and Samsung already are on edge. They are being pressured from outside and within to switch away from Android as it is. Manufacturers that are cooperating with a software vendor do NOT want to compete with that same vendor on a hardware level. As you can see Android hardware manufacturers are not happy and I’m sure will be on the lookout for another mobile OS at the drop of a pin. Google would shoot themselves in the foot if they showed any signs of favoritism to Motorola. Face the facts. Google has little to gain from Motorola doing better at the expense of pissing off the far bigger Manufacturers of Android handsets. The only way Motorola can benefit from this merger is if Google favors Motorola other other manufacturers in regards to early source code access and preferential Nexus selection. Both of these would be painfully obvious to any other manufacturer.
Any hardware company (Motorola, Samsung, etc.) makes money by selling hardware, so they do not want to update software, they want to update hardware and use the new software as a selling point. Their ideologies already clash. Google wants to advance the Android ecosystem. Motorola simply wants a bigger share of that market.
The thing is, Google kind of had its hand forced in this. It's a fact that gets overlooked. Motorola basically started saying they were going to start suing the other manufacturers of Android. I don't know about you, but in my opinion that's a pretty ****ing bad thing for the ecosystem. This wasn't something Google thought of out of the blue. It's something that was honestly hoisted upon them. If they didn't stop Motorola, they would have started suing, other manufacturers would have started adopting WP7. Google doesn't want to lose its controlling grip over Android, and for good reason -- it's a money maker for them right now. By buying Motorola not only does it stop the potential for lawsuits against the other manufacturers, but it also stops the potential for Motorola to start producing WP7 phones as well. The patents were also a very sweet reason, but it wasn't the only reason.
Motorola was also threatening to create it's own private fork of android and it's own market a few months ago. Basically Motorola was looking to be bought. Apparently Microsoft was also interested.
edgeicator said:
Yea, you definitely have no idea what you're talking about. Favoritism has nothing to do with lawsuits. They wouldn't be in trouble if they collaborated together. Fact of the matter is, HTC and Samsung already are on edge. They are being pressured from outside and within to switch away from Android as it is. Manufacturers that are cooperating with a software vendor do NOT want to compete with that same vendor on a hardware level. As you can see Android hardware manufacturers are not happy and I’m sure will be on the lookout for another mobile OS at the drop of a pin. Google would shoot themselves in the foot if they showed any signs of favoritism to Motorola. Face the facts. Google has little to gain from Motorola doing better at the expense of pissing off the far bigger Manufacturers of Android handsets. The only way Motorola can benefit from this merger is if Google favors Motorola other other manufacturers in regards to early source code access and preferential Nexus selection. Both of these would be painfully obvious to any other manufacturer.
Any hardware company (Motorola, Samsung, etc.) makes money by selling hardware, so they do not want to update software, they want to update hardware and use the new software as a selling point. Their ideologies already clash. Google wants to advance the Android ecosystem. Motorola simply wants a bigger share of that market.
The thing is, Google kind of had its hand forced in this. It's a fact that gets overlooked. Motorola basically started saying they were going to start suing the other manufacturers of Android. I don't know about you, but in my opinion that's a pretty ****ing bad thing for the ecosystem. This wasn't something Google thought of out of the blue. It's something that was honestly hoisted upon them. If they didn't stop Motorola, they would have started suing, other manufacturers would have started adopting WP7. Google doesn't want to lose its controlling grip over Android, and for good reason -- it's a money maker for them right now. By buying Motorola not only does it stop the potential for lawsuits against the other manufacturers, but it also stops the potential for Motorola to start producing WP7 phones as well. The patents were also a very sweet reason, but it wasn't the only reason.
Motorola was also threatening to create it's own private fork of android and it's own market a few months ago. Basically Motorola was looking to be bought. Apparently Microsoft was also interested.
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are you sitting on the board of directors of Google? no? do you have access to private information that pertains to Google's plans for Motorola? no? then i guess you have no clue what you're talking about and need to chill out. every single one of your posts is nothing but calling other people idiots and spouting information (without any hard evidence) about future events that people are just SPECULATING about. is it really that annoying to you for other people to have a conversation about possibilities?
Alcapone263 said:
are you sitting on the board of directors of Google? no? do you have access to private information that pertains to Google's plans for Motorola? no? then i guess you have no clue what you're talking about and need to chill out. every single one of your posts is nothing but calling other people idiots and spouting information (without any hard evidence) about future events that people are just SPECULATING about. is it really that annoying to you for other people to have a conversation about possibilities?
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It's called common sense and knowledge. Something 99% of this board apparently lacks. Google has stated MULTIPLE TIMES they won't favor Motorola over their other partners. Every single one of my posts has been backed up by hard numbers and articles. Name anything I have stated to be fact that hasn't been backed up with hard evidence. The person I am responding to insists that Motorola will somehow have backhanded deals with Google when it has been explicitly stated that there will be no benefit for Motorola over other manufacturers from this acquisition. Maybe if posters were somewhat intelligent, I wouldn't have to point out the multitudes of falsities, misinformation, and just straight up FUD they keep claiming.
edgeicator said:
It's called common sense and knowledge. Something 99% of this board apparently lacks. Google has stated MULTIPLE TIMES they won't favor Motorola over their other partners. Every single one of my posts has been backed up by hard numbers and articles. Name anything I have stated to be fact that hasn't been backed up with hard evidence. The person I am responding to insists that Motorola will somehow have backhanded deals with Google when it has been explicitly stated that there will be no benefit for Motorola over other manufacturers from this acquisition. Maybe if posters were somewhat intelligent, I wouldn't have to point out the multitudes of falsities, misinformation, and just straight up FUD they keep claiming.
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Sounds to me like you believe everything you read or what someone tells you. So if the President told you the only way to live was to jump off the Sears tower you would just blindly believe him and go jump off the Sears Tower even though common sense and logic would say wait if I do that I am dead. All I have been saying is Don't believe Everything someone tells you they will Do. Most corporations say One thing and do something completely different behind closed doors.
malickie said:
Sounds to me like you believe everything you read or what someone tells you. So if the President told you the only way to live was to jump off the Sears tower you would just blindly believe him and go jump off the Sears Tower even though common sense and logic would say wait if I do that I am dead. All I have been saying is Don't believe Everything someone tells you they will Do. Most corporations say One thing and do something completely different behind closed doors.
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Way to use a straw man argument. And as I explained earlier. There is a tiny upside to Motorola doing well to a huge downside if they were to get caught red-handed. The risk vs reward is tremendously imbalanced. You'd have to have 0 sense of business if you'd take that risk. The only reason Google did this was to take patents for defense and to defend their partners from Motorola potentially suing them with those same patents they just bought. If you can't see that, there's no helping you.
I could care less "who" makes it, but how about a Nexus phone WITH EXT_SD support already?...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
Closing the thread. Please keep the forums civil and respectful. Avoid personal attacks, arguments, and such at all costs.
Thanks guys!
So I chanced upon this news on Twitter: http://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_shut...php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I can understand that they want to concentrate on higher end devices, but why totally pulling out of Asia? They still have fans in Asia and they did not even try selling the Razr HD or something before coming to the decision. What was Google thinking there?
Also, Motorola SEA has said that they would continue giving customers support and warranty. However, after the news of Motorola's staff getting laid-off, people had been complaining that their questions were left ignored for days and they've yet to receive any replies to date.
(And to think I've still got a few months on my warranty)
It seems like a great excuse by Motorola not to upgrade the international atrix to ICS. Oh well, seems like I'll never be able to get my hands on the Razr HD
Opinions?
Sent from that Atrix.
I'll wait for reliable or official sources to confirm, but this would be quite drastic. BGR India, hmmm. I can't imagine they would pull out of China, where their phones are literally sold at every store in every city. While they have never been crazy popular, they seem to have always done well in sales volume. They just opened an official Motorola store at one of the malls in Guangzhou, so I wish I knew some Mandarin I could question the news coming out. Hopefully they are simply cutting down on the number of models they sell, and going to concentrate just on a few core phones. I would hate to see Motorola exit the market, especially now with Google's influence.
I suppose my next phone was like going to be from Xiaomi or Huawei, but if I could find a new Motorola in the next few months that can make me as happy as the Atrix, I would stick with them for their great hardware.
The Motorola Southeast-asian Facebook page has gone ridiculously silent, not even replying anyone in the last few weeks (other than updating their website and info). Customer support also dead.
Sent from that Atrix.
Hey,
I don't know anything about Asia as a whole, but in Israel at least, Motorola Mobility closed all their facilities and laid off all their workers. I think that it is something that came directly from google, as a way to cut their losses or something like that...
:cyclops:
tatperson said:
The Motorola Southeast-asian Facebook page has gone ridiculously silent, not even replying anyone in the last few weeks (other than updating their website and info). Customer support also dead.
Sent from that Atrix.
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They are always silent and not responding to queries. Their support is as good as dead. I am glad my warranty is about one month left.
Motorola stock ROM sucks and they just provide one pathetic and buggy update from Froyo to GB. Motorola has never been popular in SG, their reputation is really bad. Almost everyone is using iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone. IMO, Google is trying to cut their losses. They are only interested with Motorola's patents. Haha..
I am sure it is to cut losses. But methinks Google is gonna try and bring USA back into the mix sooner or later. Pure speculation on my part, but Google does need to cut as many losses as possible before they start investing more here. Investing in the USA is very costly and a big uphill battle right now when you're competing against pennies on the dollar. No need to look farther than the nexus q. It was shunned before it was even released because of price and features. If america wants jobs, they need to buy home brew and see that Google is one big beta company and the features will come if you're patient. Not much of that in the USA either. Short term profits are more important than long term stability. See where that is getting us in many other markets?
need more high def music...
Update:
Although we are consolidating about a third of our facilities globally, and slimming our operation in India as you reported, we continue to have a significant presence in several key markets in Asia-Pacific in addition to Korea and Australia. This includes, among others, mainland China, which remains one of our main R&D hubs (and where I am based). We should be able to share more information once we’re further through the reorganization process, but Asia-Pacific is an important part of Motorola Mobility’s future.
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[At] Motorola's MWC press dinner. Motorola senior vice president of product management Rick Osterloh had this to say while talking about Motorola's commitment to Android, the upcoming merger, and Motorola's future:
The Moto G has been the most successful, highest-selling smartphone in Motorola's history.
He went on to mention that Motorola is making a profit on every sale, and that they will make even more after the Lenovo purchase is complete.
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http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-g-motorolas-most-successful-smartphone-ever
And let's hope Lenovo don't spoil things by charging too much for the next instalment of the Moto G.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
It's a win/win for everyone!
jonny68 said:
And let's hope Lenovo don't spoil things by charging too much for the next instalment of the Moto G.
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I'm more worried about bloatware and their ability/willingness to provide timely system updates. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that would really make a significant improvement is a better camera.
With such a user base you would expect regular software updates, it's one of the reasons why the success. That model should carry through regardless of the the parent company. It would be foolish to do otherwise this early. Motorola has quite a status in its own right, that's something it was purchased for, it would make little sense to strip it of what has made it iconic. The same goes for its' version of Android.
Google wins too through patent licencing into some markets where it hasn't faired as well as it expected to. Lenova gets Google in-the-door. Motorola gets backing for more R&D, manufacturing, etc. Us consumers should get the benefits of that, so the campaign worked and we should hold them to that.
It's a great handset after all. As said before, the camera could be better, but it could be improved by better software. The white balance is woeful, lol. Some presets would be nice or some manual control. Skin tones aren't top notch and can be improved since it's for an international market, but that could be done through software.
The specifications are good, one of the few penta-band phones out there, that can go anywhere.
IMO, if they keep the less-is-more idea, in terms of android, they'll do even better. Now if you could tell that to Google...