Googles takeover of Motorola Mobility

　　Google收購摩托羅拉移動部分

　　WHEN smartphones were still young and computing tablets not yet born, some analystspredicted that the market for mobile devices would sooner or later look much like that forpersonal computers : there would be a clear division of labour and intellectual propertybetween makers of hardware and software; a dominant operating system would emerge; andApple would again become a niche player.

　　在智能手機初現江湖、平板電腦尚未問世之時，有些分析人士就預言移動通信設備市場遲早會變得和個人電腦PC市場一樣：軟硬件制造商之間分工明確，擁有各自的知識產權;有一個操作系統會一統江湖;而蘋果將再次扮演只做特定群體買賣的角色。

　　If proof is still needed, Googles takeover of Motorola Mobility is the strongest sign yet that thiswill not come to pass, at least in the near future. On the contrary, the mobile-device industrywill bear a closer resemblance to its other parent: the market for old-fashioned, voice-onlyhandsets.

　　不過至少在短期內，這一預言是不會成真了，假如你一定要我給個證據，Google收購摩托羅拉就是最有力的證明。相反，移動設備行業的市場狀況倒是會與它的另一位生父更為相似，那就是：只有通話功能的老式手機。

　　Start with intellectual property. In contrast with PC makers, firms in the telecoms industryhave long fought over patents. If such disputes are even more common over todays mobiledevices , it is because they are exceedingly complex and based on intellectualproperty from many different industries.

　　先從知識產權說起。與PC制造商相比，電信企業對專利的爭奪由來已久，而由于移動設備極其復雜，其知識產權來源于各行各業，知識產權糾紛在今時今日會變得更為普遍。

　　Gaining control of Motorolas big patent portfolio will provide Google with ammunition in theongoing battle between mobile platforms. Android, Googles operating system for smartphonesand other devices, has taken the world by storm. Its global market share is approaching 50% . Yet Apple and Microsoft have found a way to slow down, and even benefit fromAndroids advance: going after makers of smartphones running Android for patentinfringements.

　　將摩托羅拉龐大的專利網收入囊中，這為Google參與激戰正酣的移動平臺爭奪戰提供了彈藥。Google開發的智能手機及移動設備操作系統安卓Android正席卷全球。其全球市場份額正接近50%。不過蘋果和微軟找到了應對之策，這兩家公司甚至還從安卓的發展中受益：狀告安卓智能手機制造商專利侵權。

　　This tactic has put a price on Android, which Googlegives away free. In early 2010 HTC, a leading vendorof Android devices, agreed to pay royalties toMicrosoft for the use of its patents. And in July Applewon a legal victory against HTC which could lead toeven higher payments.

　　安卓本由Google免費發布，但兩家公司的這一策略給安卓系統標上了價碼。2010年初，安卓設備頭號供應商HTC同意向微軟支付專利費，同年7月，蘋果打贏了與HTC的官司，這會讓HTC支付更高的費用。

　　Googles acquisition also illustrates the seconddifference between the markets for PCs and mobile devices: the latter will be more verticallyintegrated. Apples big advantage is controlling all parts of its products, from the user interfaceto the processor. It is thus able to fine-tune them, for instance to keep power consumption lowor make touch screens react faster. Most devices powered by Android are not as highlyoptimisedwhich helps to explain why Android tablets, for instance, have yet to catch up withApples iPad.

　　Google的收購還闡明了 PC市場與移動設備市場的第二個不同之處：后者更傾向于垂直整合。蘋果的主要優勢在于它控制著產品的一切，從用戶界面到處理器。因此，蘋果可以精細調整其產品，比如保持低耗電量或讓觸屏反應更迅速。而大部分安卓設備則做不到如此高度的優化，以安卓平板電腦為例，這也許就是它還趕不上蘋果iPad的原因。

　　Owning a handset-maker allows Google to better integrate software and hardware. At thesame time, the firm cannot copy Apples model completely. If it is seen to favour Motorolasproducts, other device makers might abandon Android. This would defeat the operatingsystems purpose: making sure that Googles servicesand thus its lucrative advertisementsmake it onto as many mobile displays as possible. When Googles bosses announced themerger, they took great care to explain that they would run Motorola as a separate businessand not change the way in which Android was managed.

　　擁有一家手機制造企業可以讓Google更好地整合軟件和硬件，同時，也不能完全照搬蘋果的模式。如果其他設備制造商認為安卓偏向于摩托羅拉的產品，也許就會棄安卓而去。這有違該操作系統的初衷：務必讓 Google的服務盡可能多地出現在移動設備上，從而為其帶來利潤豐厚的廣告業務。Google的老板在宣布這次收購時，就極力澄清說摩托羅拉會單獨運作，他們不會改變安卓的管理模式。

　　Carolina Milanesi of Gartner, a market-research firm, expects Google to use Motorola to buildbenchmark models for Android devices to help others improve their products. The industry ismoving towards a similar set-up. As part of a co-operation agreement with Nokia, Microsoft isusing the Finnish company as its hardware-maker of reference.

　　市場研究公司Gartner的卡羅琳娜 米拉內西Carolina Milanesi估計，Google會用摩托羅拉打造一個安卓設備的標準模板，以幫助其他制造商改進各自的產品。移動行業正逐步走向標準化，微軟已與諾基亞達成合作協議，所有硬件制造商的產品都以這家芬蘭公司的硬件為準。

　　Third, it is unlikely that one firm will ever dominatethe mobile industry as much as Microsoft did in PCsbecause the most powerful companies will doalmost anything to keep this from happening, saysBen Wood of CCS Insight, another research firm.Just like Google, they will spend billions to stay in therace. And wireless operators have let it be knownthat they are already unhappy with the currentduopoly of Android and Apple. They will certainlypush Nokias new Windows phones once they hit themarket later this year or early next.

　　第三個不同，用另一家市場研究公司CCS Insight本 伍德Ben Wood的話來說，就是在移動行業中，不大可能有公司像微軟在PC市場那樣長期獨家壟斷，因為各大公司會竭力阻止發生這種情況。比如Google就將花費數十億美元來保持競爭力。而無線運營商已經公開表示，他們對目前安卓和蘋果兩家爭霸的局面感到不滿，一旦諾基亞的Windows phones手機在今年或明年年初上市，他們肯定會助其一臂之力。

　　All of which means Googles acquisition is unlikely to be the last deal of its kind. OtherAmerican technology giants have plenty of cashand a need to strengthen their mobilestature, says Mr Wood. Even Amazon, an online shopping giant, may feel the urge to splashout and buy, perhaps, Sony-Ericsson, which like Motorola seems too small to make it on itsown. The battle for supremacy in the mobile industry has only just begun.

　　所有這些，都意味著Google的收購不會是此類收購的最后一樁。伍德先生說，美國還有些腰纏萬貫的技術巨頭想要提高他們在移動行業的聲望。甚至連網購業巨頭亞馬遜也迫不及待地想進來，它可能會收購索尼愛立信，這家公司與摩托羅拉一樣，已經萎縮到無法支撐下去。爭奪移動行業霸權的戰斗才剛剛開始。

　　Googles takeover of Motorola Mobility

　　Google收購摩托羅拉移動部分

　　WHEN smartphones were still young and computing tablets not yet born, some analystspredicted that the market for mobile devices would sooner or later look much like that forpersonal computers : there would be a clear division of labour and intellectual propertybetween makers of hardware and software; a dominant operating system would emerge; andApple would again become a niche player.

　　在智能手機初現江湖、平板電腦尚未問世之時，有些分析人士就預言移動通信設備市場遲早會變得和個人電腦PC市場一樣：軟硬件制造商之間分工明確，擁有各自的知識產權;有一個操作系統會一統江湖;而蘋果將再次扮演只做特定群體買賣的角色。

　　If proof is still needed, Googles takeover of Motorola Mobility is the strongest sign yet that thiswill not come to pass, at least in the near future. On the contrary, the mobile-device industrywill bear a closer resemblance to its other parent: the market for old-fashioned, voice-onlyhandsets.

　　不過至少在短期內，這一預言是不會成真了，假如你一定要我給個證據，Google收購摩托羅拉就是最有力的證明。相反，移動設備行業的市場狀況倒是會與它的另一位生父更為相似，那就是：只有通話功能的老式手機。

　　Start with intellectual property. In contrast with PC makers, firms in the telecoms industryhave long fought over patents. If such disputes are even more common over todays mobiledevices , it is because they are exceedingly complex and based on intellectualproperty from many different industries.

　　先從知識產權說起。與PC制造商相比，電信企業對專利的爭奪由來已久，而由于移動設備極其復雜，其知識產權來源于各行各業，知識產權糾紛在今時今日會變得更為普遍。

　　Gaining control of Motorolas big patent portfolio will provide Google with ammunition in theongoing battle between mobile platforms. Android, Googles operating system for smartphonesand other devices, has taken the world by storm. Its global market share is approaching 50% . Yet Apple and Microsoft have found a way to slow down, and even benefit fromAndroids advance: going after makers of smartphones running Android for patentinfringements.

　　將摩托羅拉龐大的專利網收入囊中，這為Google參與激戰正酣的移動平臺爭奪戰提供了彈藥。Google開發的智能手機及移動設備操作系統安卓Android正席卷全球。其全球市場份額正接近50%。不過蘋果和微軟找到了應對之策，這兩家公司甚至還從安卓的發展中受益：狀告安卓智能手機制造商專利侵權。

　　This tactic has put a price on Android, which Googlegives away free. In early 2010 HTC, a leading vendorof Android devices, agreed to pay royalties toMicrosoft for the use of its patents. And in July Applewon a legal victory against HTC which could lead toeven higher payments.

　　安卓本由Google免費發布，但兩家公司的這一策略給安卓系統標上了價碼。2010年初，安卓設備頭號供應商HTC同意向微軟支付專利費，同年7月，蘋果打贏了與HTC的官司，這會讓HTC支付更高的費用。

　　Googles acquisition also illustrates the seconddifference between the markets for PCs and mobile devices: the latter will be more verticallyintegrated. Apples big advantage is controlling all parts of its products, from the user interfaceto the processor. It is thus able to fine-tune them, for instance to keep power consumption lowor make touch screens react faster. Most devices powered by Android are not as highlyoptimisedwhich helps to explain why Android tablets, for instance, have yet to catch up withApples iPad.

　　Google的收購還闡明了 PC市場與移動設備市場的第二個不同之處：后者更傾向于垂直整合。蘋果的主要優勢在于它控制著產品的一切，從用戶界面到處理器。因此，蘋果可以精細調整其產品，比如保持低耗電量或讓觸屏反應更迅速。而大部分安卓設備則做不到如此高度的優化，以安卓平板電腦為例，這也許就是它還趕不上蘋果iPad的原因。

　　Owning a handset-maker allows Google to better integrate software and hardware. At thesame time, the firm cannot copy Apples model completely. If it is seen to favour Motorolasproducts, other device makers might abandon Android. This would defeat the operatingsystems purpose: making sure that Googles servicesand thus its lucrative advertisementsmake it onto as many mobile displays as possible. When Googles bosses announced themerger, they took great care to explain that they would run Motorola as a separate businessand not change the way in which Android was managed.

　　擁有一家手機制造企業可以讓Google更好地整合軟件和硬件，同時，也不能完全照搬蘋果的模式。如果其他設備制造商認為安卓偏向于摩托羅拉的產品，也許就會棄安卓而去。這有違該操作系統的初衷：務必讓 Google的服務盡可能多地出現在移動設備上，從而為其帶來利潤豐厚的廣告業務。Google的老板在宣布這次收購時，就極力澄清說摩托羅拉會單獨運作，他們不會改變安卓的管理模式。

　　Carolina Milanesi of Gartner, a market-research firm, expects Google to use Motorola to buildbenchmark models for Android devices to help others improve their products. The industry ismoving towards a similar set-up. As part of a co-operation agreement with Nokia, Microsoft isusing the Finnish company as its hardware-maker of reference.

　　市場研究公司Gartner的卡羅琳娜 米拉內西Carolina Milanesi估計，Google會用摩托羅拉打造一個安卓設備的標準模板，以幫助其他制造商改進各自的產品。移動行業正逐步走向標準化，微軟已與諾基亞達成合作協議，所有硬件制造商的產品都以這家芬蘭公司的硬件為準。

　　Third, it is unlikely that one firm will ever dominatethe mobile industry as much as Microsoft did in PCsbecause the most powerful companies will doalmost anything to keep this from happening, saysBen Wood of CCS Insight, another research firm.Just like Google, they will spend billions to stay in therace. And wireless operators have let it be knownthat they are already unhappy with the currentduopoly of Android and Apple. They will certainlypush Nokias new Windows phones once they hit themarket later this year or early next.

　　第三個不同，用另一家市場研究公司CCS Insight本 伍德Ben Wood的話來說，就是在移動行業中，不大可能有公司像微軟在PC市場那樣長期獨家壟斷，因為各大公司會竭力阻止發生這種情況。比如Google就將花費數十億美元來保持競爭力。而無線運營商已經公開表示，他們對目前安卓和蘋果兩家爭霸的局面感到不滿，一旦諾基亞的Windows phones手機在今年或明年年初上市，他們肯定會助其一臂之力。

　　All of which means Googles acquisition is unlikely to be the last deal of its kind. OtherAmerican technology giants have plenty of cashand a need to strengthen their mobilestature, says Mr Wood. Even Amazon, an online shopping giant, may feel the urge to splashout and buy, perhaps, Sony-Ericsson, which like Motorola seems too small to make it on itsown. The battle for supremacy in the mobile industry has only just begun.

　　所有這些，都意味著Google的收購不會是此類收購的最后一樁。伍德先生說，美國還有些腰纏萬貫的技術巨頭想要提高他們在移動行業的聲望。甚至連網購業巨頭亞馬遜也迫不及待地想進來，它可能會收購索尼愛立信，這家公司與摩托羅拉一樣，已經萎縮到無法支撐下去。爭奪移動行業霸權的戰斗才剛剛開始。