Eric Schmidt, Google Inc.’s Executive Chairman announced that their company continues to support the free use of Android platform as free operating system for mobile devices among its handset partners. While on tour in South Korea, the Executive Chairman said that the impending acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings will not have any impact with the company’s relations with all its manufacturing partners especially those that rely heavily on using its Android application. “We will run (Motorola) satisfactorily and independently so it would not infringe the openness of Android,” Schmidt said at a news conference,” Schmidt said.
Last August, Google, Inc. disclosed their plans to purchase the US mobile manufacturer and set top devices firm for about $12.5 billion. This is one of the reasons why other mobile phone manufacturers are anxious about the fact of whether Google will still provide them equal treatment when it comes to using the Android platform. In essence, Google and other cell phone manufacturers are competitors especially when they begin running the Motorola operations. One of the largest manufacture of Android based devices, Samsung Electronics, has taken bold steps in widening its product offerings that are based on other platforms.
Samsung became one of the largest sellers of smart phones in the world when it overtook Apple in the third quarter this year and although the company does not readily admit it, there are threats looming in the horizon should the deal between Google and Motorola is finalized. Samsung declared the deal sometime in September that they are now ready to begin developing smart phones and tablets using other software platform like Microsoft Windows. The company is also set to release its own home grown mobile application platform that will be available to external developers later next year.
The fear that Motorola will benefit special treatments from Google is plausible. This has been the biggest fears that floated around in the mobile device industry particularly when the mobile device manufacturing company becomes part of the search engine firm. But Schmidt is quick to reassure its partners that it will not be the case and they are not planning to change all the materials integrated on the way their company operates. This should be an enough reassurance that all handset partners using the Android platform will still enjoy the same perks as they did before. But everything has to be seen first when the two companies merge.
For those who do not know it yet, Google does not earn any income from providing partners with their Android platform. However, the company is able to generate some revenues by driving ads to devices using the Android platform which is estimated to amount around $2.5 billion annually. This amount is even estimated to double in the next twelve months.
Should Google fail to keep its word, the huge impact will be on Android users. But everything is yet to be seen and Schmidt is not your average Joe that is inclined to renege on his promises.
