Google: “We’ve Just Signed An Agreement To Sell Motorola To Lenovo For $2.91 Billion”
- Staff
- January 29, 2014
Google dropped a bombshell on the tech community by announcing that they have signed an agreement to sell Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion.
Despite paying over US$12 billion for the company in 2012, Google CEO Larry Page believes that selling the company for a fraction of that price will be important for Android users everywhere.
I bet to differ. I believe Android users everywhere were hoping that a Google-owned Motorola Mobility will continue to produce quality devices like the Moto G and Moto X at affordable prices.
Larry Page:
[su_quote]
We acquired Motorola in 2012 to help supercharge the Android ecosystem by creating a stronger patent portfolio for Google and great smartphones for users. Over the past 19 months, Dennis Woodside and the Motorola team have done a tremendous job reinventing the company. They’ve focused on building a smaller number of great (and great value) smartphones that consumers love. Both the Moto G and the Moto X are doing really well, and I’m very excited about the smartphone lineup for 2014. And on the intellectual property side, Motorola’s patents have helped create a level playing field, which is good news for all Android’s users and partners.
But the smartphone market is super competitive, and to thrive it helps to be all-in when it comes to making mobile devices. It’s why we believe that Motorola will be better served by Lenovo—which has a rapidly growing smartphone business and is the largest (and fastest-growing) PC manufacturer in the world. This move will enable Google to devote our energy to driving innovation across the Android ecosystem, for the benefit of smartphone users everywhere. As a side note, this does not signal a larger shift for our other hardware efforts. The dynamics and maturity of the wearable and home markets, for example, are very different from that of the mobile industry. We’re excited by the opportunities to build amazing new products for users within these emerging ecosystems.[/su_quote]
