Last month, Google finalized its mega purchase of Motorola Mobility for a whooping $15.5 million. This acquisition gives Google a new spin on its business future and opens up new options that were not available before. Business tech analysts across the country are keeping a very close eye on how this will affect the Android operating system moving forward. When the Android development platforms were released three and a half years ago, they were applauded by the wireless and tech industry for being the first major “truly open access software development program” to be created. This gave the average software programmer the opportunity to create and develop their own products and ideas, and then release/sell them to the general public. Before Android, you had to have a very specific type of access and the programming codes that could only be provided by the major cellular providers in the world, i.e. Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobile, etc.
With this new merger will Google shut down the freedom of open development? How could this happen and in such a short time, you ask? Very simply, Google has been sub-contracting manufactures before the Motorola Mobility purchase to create these devices to run the Google Android software. Now that it has acquired the thirdlargest cellular phone manufacturer on the planet, will they start to manufacture a “Google Exclusive” handset and make Android exclusive to only Motorola handset users? Will they still play fair with the likes of Samsung, HTC, and LG? Will this force other large manufacturers to start developing their own versions of the Android software specific for their brands, in turn, creating the lack of cross compatibility that the industry has fought so hard to comply with and make customer experience better?
Why the urgency for Google to make this move? The answer is plain and simple from an industry perspective… APPLE. IOS, Apple’s self-created operating system, is second in market share for mobile and tablet users, only to the Android operating system at the moment. Google is preparing for a long battle with Apple for control of your wireless devices. I believe that if Android does go completely exclusive with Motorola Mobility, they will see a sharp loss in overall market share for that operating system right from the beginning and it could prove to be a long-term mistake. The reason right now that Android has the upper hand in market share is the extensive number of choices that are being manufactured by the different companies today and brought to the marketplace. For example, Just Wireless currently carries 15 different Android based phones and four different Android based tablets, as opposed to the one iPhone model and two iPad versions.
Should Google continue on a path of exclusivity and possible market domination? Will they look to purchase or merge with even more electronics manufacturers, including television and laptop manufactures?
The battle for supremacy of your mobile electronic devices has begun; all we can do is wait to see what happens next. FBN
Written by Zach Ellman, owner of Just Wireless in Flagstaff. More information is available at justwirelessaz.com
