Motorola Mobility had a solid fourth quarter with about $80 million in profits but the company if going to face a stiff challenge when the Verizon iPhone lands early next month.
Motorola is now an independent company that focuses on handsets and set-top boxes. The handset maker has been riding Android hard during its attempt to reinvent itself.
Motorola shipped 4.9 million smartphones during the quarter and this included devices like the Droid Pro, Droid 2, Defy and Bravo. It also has a great lineup poised to be released in the next few weeks and months as the Atrix 4G, Droid Bionic and Xoom tablet all seem best in class.
“The improvement in our financial results last year, including profitability in the fourth quarter, is indicative of the progress we have made in delivering innovative smartphones and improving the Mobile Devices business,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility, in a prepared statement. “Our Home business performed well and remains a premier provider of digital set-tops and end-to-end video solutions. With the global opportunities ahead, along with our diversified portfolio, our brand, and our people, we are well positioned to grow, and further improve our financial results in 2011.”
Things are not super rosy moving forward though, as the Droid lineup on Verizon benefits from a strong carrier marketing push that may evaporate when the Verizon iPhone lands in early February. We’ll see how well Motorola can compete directly against Apple.
Of course, challenges also mean new opportunities, as AT&T losing exclusivity means it will likely push other handsets like the Motorola Atrix 4G, which should appeal to the business set and casual users.
The company has done a great job turning around it’s image – it was far and away the best we saw at CES 2011 – but it’s going to have to continue to innovate and produce on a consistent basis if it wants to stay near the top.
[Via Motorola]