More than three months have passed since news broke that Google was going to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, and to tell you the truth our hands still shake every time someone brings up that historic headline. Google says they want Motorola for the patents, that they’re going to let Motorola do their own thing and run it as a separate company, but we don’t buy that for a second. Apple has proven that the integrated model, owning both hardware and software, is the way forward if you want to maximize profit. That’s not to say that Google’s partners are going to dump Android. Why would they? The operating system is hugely popular, accounting for more than 50% of the smartphones shipped in Q3 of this year. Unless someone else comes up with an operating system that consumers want, and don’t even bother bringing up Windows Phone since it’s not getting any love, then what choice do the folks at HTC, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have?
Anyway, on to the main news of the day. There was a meeting yesterday, held by Motorola Mobility shareholders, and 99% of them voted to allow Google to purchase the company. Are any of you surprised by this? The market cap for Motorola Mobility stands at $11.6 billion and Google wants to pay $12.5 billion for it. That’s a hell of a premium. Now just because the shareholders signed off on the deal doesn’t mean that it’s gone through. The United States Justice Department still has to approve the merger, and we’ve got no idea when that’ll happen. They have the right to say no, but that’s unlikely to occur.
Should you be excited? Yes. Google is taking mobile very seriously, and this move will only accelerate their secret plans for world domination, all the while Steve Jobs is rolling in his grave.