Platform Wars

In recent weeks, we’ve seen two seismic shifts in the mobile and tablet markets. First, Google announced its intent to acquire Motorola Mobility and a few days later, HP announced that it would discontinue producing webOS-based phones and the TouchPad.

Google’s move to buy a hardware manufacturer has long been speculated in the media.  Motorola Mobility had previously been reported as a possible target, so Google’s move isn’t entirely surprising. However, after nearly 3 years since the public launch of Android, the question is why now?  Consider the comments of Android industry partners (e.g. Samsung, HTC, Verizon) mentioning the need to protect the Android ecosystem from IP lawsuits that threaten Android’s growth.  Now add the fact that Motorola Mobility has grown a significant patent portfolio in the mobile space over the past decade.

Still, it is interesting to wonder about the long-term vision.

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