Motorola says reduction of German Android devices was planned, not linked to patent rulings
In a statement on Monday, Google's Motorola Mobility claims the quiet removal of a number of Android-based devices from the German market was part of a strategy to focus on newer products, not the result of unfavorable rulings in patent cases involving Apple and Microsoft.
The reduction in Motorola's Android offerings, first reported by German news site Areamobile, was originally thought to be a reaction to multiple injunctions against certain Motorola Android devices won by both Apple and Microsoft. A comment from a Motorola spokeswoman tells a different story, however, as the company claims the products were pulled according to plan.
?As we have previously stated Motorola Mobility is focusing on fewer mobile devices,? the spokeswoman told AllThingsD. ?As a result we have phased out some of our lower tier devices in Europe/Germany.?
This is contrary to a previous Motorola statement obtained by Areamobile, which said the operating software of the supposedly defunct devices was being "reworked at the moment," and the products were scheduled to go back on sale in the near future. The information seems dubious, however, as the devices claimed to be returning soon were delisted from the company's site months ago.
As noted by FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller, the original announcement on Motorola's German website projected the devices would return by the end of July, however that date has long since passed. In the intervening weeks, Motorola was hit with three patent case losses from Microsoft and Apple, suggesting the Google subsidiary is having trouble creating workarounds.
Apple and Microsoft have won three German injunctions each against infringing Motorola Android devices, putting the one-time communications leader against the wall after it attempted to leverage its own patents against the iPhone and Windows Mobile products.
Currently, Motorola's German website only lists availability of the RAZRi, RAZR HD, and Gleam+ smartphones, while the company's XOOM tablets are nowhere to be found.
The reduction in Motorola's Android offerings, first reported by German news site Areamobile, was originally thought to be a reaction to multiple injunctions against certain Motorola Android devices won by both Apple and Microsoft. A comment from a Motorola spokeswoman tells a different story, however, as the company claims the products were pulled according to plan.
?As we have previously stated Motorola Mobility is focusing on fewer mobile devices,? the spokeswoman told AllThingsD. ?As a result we have phased out some of our lower tier devices in Europe/Germany.?
This is contrary to a previous Motorola statement obtained by Areamobile, which said the operating software of the supposedly defunct devices was being "reworked at the moment," and the products were scheduled to go back on sale in the near future. The information seems dubious, however, as the devices claimed to be returning soon were delisted from the company's site months ago.
As noted by FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller, the original announcement on Motorola's German website projected the devices would return by the end of July, however that date has long since passed. In the intervening weeks, Motorola was hit with three patent case losses from Microsoft and Apple, suggesting the Google subsidiary is having trouble creating workarounds.
Apple and Microsoft have won three German injunctions each against infringing Motorola Android devices, putting the one-time communications leader against the wall after it attempted to leverage its own patents against the iPhone and Windows Mobile products.
Currently, Motorola's German website only lists availability of the RAZRi, RAZR HD, and Gleam+ smartphones, while the company's XOOM tablets are nowhere to be found.
Comments
"Yeah, we planned to cover less of the market, despite our entire business model revolving around building 100 different phones for every possible niche."
In the future, which do you think will be remembered, the iPhone and iPad, or the thousands of shitty ass, bottom of the barrel Android devices and cheap ripoffs that flood the market?
ist dat gut?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
In the future, which do you think will be remembered, the iPhone and iPad, or the thousands of shitty ass, bottom of the barrel Android devices and cheap ripoffs that flood the market?
In the future??? I've already forgotten about them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
In a statement on Monday, Google's Motorola Mobility claims the quiet removal of a number of Android-based devices from the German market was part of a strategy to focus on newer products, not the result of unfavorable rulings in patent cases involving Apple and Microsoft.
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure
Sounds more like a face-saving statement to me, Perhaps a few of those were scheduled for retirement. All of them? Not likely IMO.
Sure Moto... whatever you have to tell yourself!
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though I'm sure it was accelerated due to their patent losses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
"Yeah, we planned to cover less of the market, despite our entire business model revolving around building 100 different phones for every possible niche."
Even Google won't throw them a contract for hardware...
In the end Google will have lost more billions by their own doing that Samscum lost to outright copying Apple's patents.
@apple][: aren't you supposed to have some kind of disclosure "Apple Stock Owner, all statements may not be entirely honest"?
@tallest Skil: do they really have a hundred phones? Where do they find the money for the R&D?
Quote:
Originally Posted by lightknight
@macky: depends on if that strategy helped them make more than another one
@apple][: aren't you supposed to have some kind of disclosure "Apple Stock Owner, all statements may not be entirely honest"?
@tallest Skil: do they really have a hundred phones? Where do they find the money for the R&D?
Where did they find the R&D? Easy. Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA.
Of course it has nothing to do with Microsoft's injunction banning them from using the FAT file system, popular in SD cards.
Very hard to work around, which is why Microsoft has had such success with their Android licensing program.
Apple doesn't use FAT.
Just to be clear: Apple doesn't use FAT in their mobile phones - they do not have SD cards. Apple does, however, have a license from Microsoft to use FAT - which is why their computers can read and write FAT disks. They do not have a license for NTFS (or, rather, I believe they have a license to read, but not to write).
Quote:
Originally Posted by hill60
Of course it has nothing to do with Microsoft's injunction banning them from using the FAT file system, popular in SD cards.
Very hard to work around, which is why Microsoft has had such success with their Android licensing program.
Apple doesn't use FAT.
Even Tomtom with it's Linux-based OS got nailed with a lawsuit over the FAT patent. FWIW that's one that should be designated as standards-essential in my opinion. Perhaps another area where our current patent system could be improved.
EDIT:
Ohhh. . . This is interesting. Microsoft's FAT patent, or the '352 patent as it's technically known, may be found invalid due to prior art. A recent preliminary ruling already found against it.
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/03/ms-patent/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
In the future, which do you think will be remembered, the iPhone and iPad, or the thousands of shitty ass, bottom of the barrel Android devices and cheap ripoffs that flood the market?
Is that a loaded question?