14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is boasting about getting yet another company using Android to pay up. It's par of the course these days, after both HTC and Samsung caved. Out of the big players, only Motorola is left and that's a company about to get bought by Google itself.
Microsoft may have 10 companies paying, but only two that count
The fact that Microsoft now has ten companies that pay it instead of Google for using Android is not really important. Only two of those actually count, the rest are just to make it seem more daunting to those that haven't started paying yet.
It's not even important that 53 percent of the devices running Android in the US come from companies that pay Microsoft. Again, HTC and Samsung make up 52 percent out of the 53 percent total.
The only important question at this point is, when is Google going to do something about it? Because, Microsoft is moving, one company, large and small, at a time and it won't stop until, presumably, only Motorola is left. And it won't be satisfied even then.
Small companies can't afford to pay Microsoft, they'll drop Android or hike the price
Big players like Samsung, HTC, LG and so on can afford to pay Microsoft. And they can choose to switch over to Windows Phone 7, if it ever becomes a solid contender.
But smaller companies don't really have a choice. Android is great because it's free, small companies can churn out cheap devices and have them flood the market in places like India, China, Brazil, Africa and so on, places where the price counts the most.
And Google is only interested in one thing with Android, to get it in the hands of as many people as possible, assuming that the Google apps are left intact.
Having to pay a license that may end up being a big percentage of the retail price of a phone will have the biggest effect on the low end of the market. What's more, small players don't really have the funds to fight Microsoft. If Samsung couldn't do it, no one can. Google should be defending Android, but it's doing nothing There's really one company that could and definitely should come to Android's rescue, Google itself. Yet, Google remains quiet. Aside from selling a few patents to HTC, to fight off Apple, it hasn't done anything concrete.
It sure does look like Google is sitting by, twiddling its thumbs, while Microsoft makes even more money from Android.
Google may be waiting for the Motorola acquisition to complete, but it could be too late
But it's very probable that Google can't really do anything at this point and knows it. Until the Motorola acquisition is completed, and it may be a while, all that Google can do is sit by and wait.
Google's partners don't have that luxury though and it doesn't seem like they believe Google can and will do anything about it. While they lauded Google's move to buy Motorola, to better protect Android, two big players, one of them a close partner, Samsung, have given up and will pay Microsoft. By the time Google does start to fight, there may be nothing more to defend.