Google’s secret hardware ambitions: Motorola Mobility takeover not just about patents, admits Eric Schmidt

Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has revealed that Google’s recent purchase of Motorola Mobility was motivated by more than just the ongoing smartphone patent wars, with co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin harbouring hardware ambitions for the company.

The takeover was seen by many leading industry analysts as a way of gaining Motorola’s patents in a defensive move against ongoing patent litigation by Apple against Google and its Android device partners.

However, in an interview with The New York Times, Schmidt admitted that while the company still views itself as predominantly being “in the information business”, he also sees hardware as a means of re-invigorating long-term growth for the company.

Schmidt said: “We always wanted to be in the hardware business.”

“Larry and Sergey have always wanted to do hardware in one form or another. This [Motorola Mobility takeover] was a way to get into it quickly.”

The news raises the prospect of Google competing directly against current partners, including Samsung, at some point in the future.