Sometimes good news comes from the most unexpected place. The purchase of Motorola Mobility by Google last year had to pass the filter of the authorities of the main powers. The United States and Europe have already given their approval. The one from China was missing. To earn it, Google officials have pledged to keep the Android system free and open for at least five more years.
The competition authorities were afraid that Google would give Motorola preferential treatment in everything related to Android. Although, given the nature of the operating system, based on free software, it did not seem very realistic to think that Google would close it, it could not be ruled out that it would give Motorola a certain priority with its novelties.
For this reason, Google's commitment to keeping Android open is good news for mobile manufacturers, for the operators that have them and for us, the users. The other detail, that Google could consider starting to charge for its use to the different manufacturers seems somewhat out of place. It must be remembered that Android, although it is an initial creation of Google, is actually of the Open Handset Alliance, of which Google is just one more member, although the majority.
Even so. The Chinese authorities had put that condition of keeping it open and free for at least five more years if Google wanted them to give their approval to the purchase of Motorola's mobile division. Before, the US Department of Justice had found no evidence that the purchase could affect competition.
In fact, as the latest figures show, the mobile phone business based on the Android platform is at its best. With some 250 million Android smartphones on the streets, having bypassed all other platforms, it would be suicidal for Google to touch something that has proven to be working.
We have seen it in The Verge