Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, and discussing the acquisition on the Official Google Blog, Google CEO Larry Page also noted that over 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide.
Android must be doing quite well, as just last month during Google’s Q2 earnings call, Page announced the number to be 130 million. Apple announced it was up to 222 million iOS devices on its earnings call.
He also said that over 550,000 devices are “now lit up every day.” That’s through 39 manufacturers, 231 carriers and 123 countries.
“The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences,” said Page. “I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders.”
If you like the Android operating system, but aren’t high on Motorola for some reason, you shouldn’t have to worry if Google holds true to what it’s saying, which is that it will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business without giving it preferential treatment compared to other manufacturers like HTC, Samsung and others.
Google maintains that Android will remain open source, and that the acquisition will not impact this.
More on the acquisition here.