After consulting the tea leaves and having spilled the entrails of a newborn lamb, Nokia head honcho Stephen Elop has decided that Google's acquisition of Motorola is a portent of doom for the Android operating system, Reuters reports.
But then, y'know... he would say that.
Speaking on Wednesday, Elop said, "If I happened to be someone who was an Android manufacturer or an operator, or anyone with a stake in that environment, I would be picking up my phone and calling certain executives at Google and say, 'I see signs of danger ahead.'"
Elop's concern seems to be that because Google has bought Motorola, it's possible that other manufacturers who build Android devices (like Samsung, LG or HTC) will feel jealous of that tight partnership.
Motorola could be given early access to Android code, for example, and any kind of preferential treatment could cause 'droid lovin' companies to run into the arms of Microsoft, with its Windows Phone operating system.
Obviously Elop is seriously biased -- Nokia has a massive stake in Windows Phone, and no love for Android, which has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. But while he's probably just trying to stir up unrest, he might have a point.
Google bought Motorola with the aim of defending Android against the likes of Apple, and its lawsuit-happy lawyer division, but in the process it could have ticked off the manufacturers who helped make Android so popular.
What do you reckon? Does Elop speak sense? Or is he just trying to stir the pot? Is this acquisition the end of Android? Let us know on our Facebook wall, or in the comments below.
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Comments 10
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anonymous 18 August, 2011 10:57
Nokia should worry about its own future ....
anonymous 18 August, 2011 11:09
Haha...brilliant! I would be more inclined to take Mr Elop seriously if Nokia weren't such a shambles.
Look after your own company pal!
anonymous 18 August, 2011 11:26
So Motorola get "preferential treatment" and early access to Android code on account of being owned by owned by Google.
Meanwhile, Nokia get "preferential treatment" and early access to Windows Phone code on account of their close partnership with Microsoft(ie. de-facto ownership).
I don't really see the difference and don't see how this drives Samsung and HTC in Microsoft's hands.
anonymous 18 August, 2011 11:32
I'm not sure what you mean, could you say it just one more time?
billfred 18 August, 2011 11:35
Six,SIX replica comments...
And yeah, I think Elop should concentrate on not destroying his own company first.
anonymous 18 August, 2011 11:56
Look the M$ guy has spoken. Wish you scoundrels. This trojan has killed nokia and pushed his agenda of m$. No company can beat m$ in unfair practices and plain cheating.
Dean Shepherd 18 August, 2011 15:12
I doubt we'd see Samsung or HTC getting upset...
just some quick facts/observations;
1. HTC have almost full control for a gorgeous looking (though sometimes not so customizable) UI called Sense. Which allows new dock, lockscreen, music player, menus, multiple widgets...including the lovely clock/weather widget. Same goes partially with Samsung and their Touchwiz interface, albeit its a little more stock like, but there is still *Their Own* stamp on phones.
Now on Windows Phone 7, both HTC & Samsung have to follow what Microsoft *WANT* and in the case of HTC phones on Windows Phone 7, the lovely Sense UI is reduced down to what? an application or 'hub' as its called, which is really much weaker than it is on Android.
I remember the older windows phones where you could recognise a HTC phone just by the homescreen alone...now well its all a uniformed tiled affair regardless what company you have.
And Nokia's phone will most likely be the exact same as well...tiles, black...more tiles...more black....boring...nothing really to graphically set itself apart from everyone else.
Dean Shepherd 18 August, 2011 15:20
Though the only thing I see *MIGHT* happen is the fact Samsung may loose the option to make another "Google" phone after the Nexus Prime is released..
but then really, HTC didn't get that upset when it realised it wasn't making the Nexus S..
anonymous 18 August, 2011 17:01
The whole patent thing was to reward original innovation for the public good. If profits and margins are being parasitized by legal R&D departments, the public good will be diminished inverse proportionately.
I'll retract that if anyone can show by peer-reviewed economic analysis that time and cash has not been compromised any more now than in the disputes of the 50's onward. Otherwise:
I say declare an international moratorium on the past 20 years of all patents, and get with the program Henry Ford implied.
zonda2323 18 August, 2011 19:35
I don't think that just because Google bought Motorola that any phone manufacturer would leave android because what makes a phone so popular is android therefore this is a key part of their survival without android running on these phones, people would simply turn away from them to an android phone also Google would use Motorola to release phones running latest android system but this is what they did with there nexus range but no phone manufacture got jealous because they knew that Google cares about them too and need them to make android what it is today. Therefore I believe the Nokia should go back and come up with a better system one that has a chance of beating android also they are annoyed that Samsung a phone manufacturer that runs android has beaten them therefore he is trying to make them jealous