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Google made a smart move in buying Motorola, and the acquisition will help it defend Android against those who would see the popular operating system destroyed. That’s the view that 72.5 per cent of you hold, at least according to a poll on our rather spiffing Facebook page.
The remaining 27.5 per cent of you think the acquisition is a bad move, that could upset companies such as HTC or Samsung that have made Android products so popular, causing a rift that tears the Android ecosystem apart.
Google shocked the tech world yesterday by announcing it was buying Motorola Mobility — the arm of Motorola that makes phones and tablets.
One of the motivations behind Google buying the company was to acquire ownership of Motorola’s patents. Google says Microsoft, Apple and other companies are banding together to buy patents, then suing the socks off manufacturers who build Android devices, with the aim of crippling the robot-powered operating system entirely.
But by snagging Motorola’s pulsating pile o’ patents, Google will find it easier to defend Android from these attacks. We’ve heard whispers Microsoft was also sniffing around Motorola’s valuable buried stash of intellectual property — if Android’s enemies acquired ownership of those patents, many of which date back to the birth of mobile phones, it would be easy to hit any Android manufacturer with a massive legal smackdown.
Rifty business
So perhaps Google saved the day — rescuing Motorola’s precious patents from the clawing grasp of those that would love to see Android dead and buried. But then again, by showing preferential treatment to Motorola, is Google not snubbing the other companies that made Android great?
Imagine you’re HTC. You’ve stuck your neck out to support Android, and over the years you’ve made some of the best mobiles ever committed to the jeans pockets of humans, using Google’s operating system.
But then Google buys Motorola, one of your rivals. Wouldn’t you worry that the Big G will provide Motorola with Android code early, and generally treat it more favourably?
Google might have saved Android from a fatal legal onslaught, but it could have upset the delicate balance between itself and manufacturers who use Android.
Happily though, not many of you think we’ll see any kind of rift forming, and the purchase is clearly being perceived as good news for Android.
There’s still time to have your say though, and weigh in on the debate. Our poll is still running (and while you’re there, why not hit ‘Like’ on our Facebook page, eh?), or you can sound off in the comments section below. This purchase could go down in history as the smartest move Google ever made, or the beginning of the end for Android, and we want to hear your thoughts.
