Motorola
Mobile telephone infrastructure | |
Number of employees | 53,000 (2010)[1] |
---|---|
Divisions | Mobile Devices Home & Networks Mobility Enterprise Mobility Solutions |
Website | www.motorola.com (archived December 31, 2010) |
Motorola, Inc. (/ˌmoʊtəˈroʊlə/[2]) was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded in 1928 as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin.[3] The company changed its name to Motorola in 1947.[4] After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, Motorola was split into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions, on January 4, 2011.[5] The reorganization was structured with Motorola Solutions legally succeeding Motorola, Inc., and Motorola Mobility being spun off.[6]
Motorola designed and sold wireless network equipment such as cellular transmission base stations and signal amplifiers. Motorola's home and broadcast network products included set-top boxes, digital video recorders, and network equipment used to enable video broadcasting, computer telephony, and high-definition television. Its business and government customers consisted mainly of wireless voice and broadband systems (used to build private networks), and public safety communications systems like Astro and Dimetra. These businesses, except for set-top boxes and cable modems, became part of Motorola Solutions.
Motorola's
History
Motorola was founded in
Paul Galvin wanted a brand name for Galvin Manufacturing Corporation's new car radio, and created the name "Motorola" by linking "motor" (for motorcar) with "ola" (from
Galvin Manufacturing Corporation began selling Motorola car-radio receivers to police departments and municipalities in November 1930. The company's first public safety customers (all in the U.S. state of Illinois) included the Village of River Forest, Village of Bellwood Police Department, City of Evanston Police, Illinois State Highway Police, and Cook County (Chicago area) Police.[13]
Many of Motorola's products have been radio-related, starting with a
Motorola went public in 1943,[16] and became Motorola, Inc. in 1947. At that time Motorola's main business was producing and selling televisions and radios.
Post World War II
The last plant was listed in Quincy, Illinois at 1400 North 30th Street where 1,200 employees made radio assemblies for both homes and automobiles.[17]
In 1969, Neil Armstrong spoke the famous words "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" from the Moon on a Motorola transceiver.[18]
In 1973, Motorola demonstrated the first hand-held portable telephone.[19]
In 1974, Motorola introduced its first microprocessor, the 8-bit
In 1980, Motorola's next generation 32-bit microprocessor, the
In September 1983, the U.S.
In 1986 Motorola acquired Storno[23] resulting in a whole new range of innovative communication products for the new owner,[24] including the NMT, an automatic cellular phone system, and made Motorola a more central player in the early stages of the GSM standardization process in 1987.[25] With this addition Motorola strengthened its position in Europe significantly. As Motorola's European development arm, Storno developed a GSM terminal in 1992.[26]
On January 29, 1988, Motorola sold its Arcade, New York facility and automotive alternators, electromechanical speedometers and tachometers products to Prestolite Electric.[27]
In 1996, Motorola released the Motorola StarMax, which was a Macintosh clone that was licensed by Apple and it came with System 7. However, with the return of Steve Jobs to Apple in 1997, Apple released Mac OS 8. Because the clone makers' licenses were valid only for Apple's System 7 operating system, Apple's release of Mac OS 8 left the clone manufacturers unable to ship a current Mac OS version without negotiation with Apple.[28] A heated telephone conversation between Jobs and then Motorola CEO Christopher Galvin resulted in the termination of Motorola's clone contract, the discontinuation of the Motorola StarMax, and the long-favored Apple being demoted to "just another customer" mainly for PowerPC CPUs. Apple (and Jobs) did not want Motorola to limit the PowerPC CPU supply so as retaliation, Apple and IBM expelled Motorola from the AIM alliance and forced Motorola to stop producing any PowerPC CPUs, leaving IBM to make all future PowerPC CPUs. However, Motorola was later reinstated into the alliance in 1998.[29]
In 1998, Motorola was overtaken by Nokia as the world's biggest seller of mobile phone handsets.[18]
In 1999, Motorola separated a portion of its semiconductor business—the Semiconductor Components Group (SCG)-- and formed onsemi (then
After 2000
In June 2000, Motorola and
In August 2000, Motorola acquired Printrak International Inc.
In June 2005, Motorola overtook the intellectual property of Sendo for $30,000 and paid £362,575 for the plant, machinery and equipment.[35]
In June 2006, Motorola acquired the software platform (
Split
On March 26, 2008, Motorola's board of directors approved a split into two different publicly traded companies.[40] This came after talk of selling the company to another corporation.[41] These new companies would comprise the business units of Motorola Mobile Devices and Motorola Broadband & Mobility Solutions. Originally it was expected that this action would be approved by regulatory bodies and complete by mid-2009, but the split was delayed due to company restructuring problems and the 2008–2009 extreme economic downturn.[42]
On February 11, 2010, Motorola announced it would separate into two independent, publicly traded companies.[43] The cell phone and cable television equipment businesses would spin off to form Motorola Mobility, while the remainder of Motorola, Inc., which comprised the government and enterprise equipment businesses, would become Motorola Solutions. The split was closed on January 4, 2011.[5] Motorola Mobility was eventually acquired by Google on May 22, 2012.[44] Google later sold Motorola Mobility's cable equipment business to Arris Group in December 2012,[45] and Motorola Mobility itself to Lenovo on October 30, 2014.[46]
Divisions
At the time of its split, Motorola had three divisions:[47]
- Enterprise Mobility Solutions was headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. It comprised communications offered to government and public safety sectors and enterprise mobility business. Motorola developed analog and digital two-way radio, voice and data communications products and systems, mobile computing, advanced data capture, wireless infrastructure and RFID solutions to customers worldwide.
- Home & Networks Mobility produced end-to-end systems that facilitate uninterrupted access to digital entertainment, information and communications services via wired and wireless mediums. Motorola developed digital video system solutions, interactive set-top devices, voice and data modems for digital subscriber line and cable networks, broadband access systems for cable and satellite television operators, and also wireline carriers and wireless service providers. It was based in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
- Mobile Devices' headquarters were located in Chicago, Illinois, and designed wireless handsets, but also licensed much of its intellectual properties. This included cellular and wireless systems and as well as integrated applications and Bluetoothaccessories.
Finances
Motorola's handset division recorded a loss of $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, while the company as a whole earned $100 million during that quarter.
Environmental record
Motorola, Inc., along with the Arizona Water Co. had been identified as the sources of trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination that took place in Scottsdale, Arizona. The malfunction led to a ban on the use of water that lasted three days and affected almost 5000 people in the area. Motorola was found to be the main source of the TCE, an industrial solvent that is thought to cause cancer. The TCE contamination was caused by a faulty blower on an air stripping tower that was used to take TCE from the water, and Motorola has attributed the situation to operator error.[58]
Of eighteen leading electronics manufacturers in Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics (October 2010), Motorola shared sixth place with competitors Panasonic and Sony.[59]
Motorola scored relatively well on the chemicals criteria and has a goal to eliminate
The company was also increasing the proportion of recycled materials used in its products. For example, the housings for the MOTO W233 Renew and MOTOCUBO A45 Eco mobile phones contained plastic from post-consumer recycled water cooler bottles.[60] According to the company's information, all of Motorola's newly designed chargers met the current Energy Star requirements and exceed the requirements for standby/no-load modes by at least 67%.[61]
See also
- List of Motorola products
- List of companies of the United States
- List of electronics companies
References
- ^ "2009 Annual Report, Motorola Inc" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ISBN 3-12-539683-2
- ^ a b "Car Radio – Sound in Motion". Motorola Solutions. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Harry Mark Petrakis, The Founder's Touch: The Life of Paul Galvin of Motorola (Chicago: McGraw-hill, 1965), 58–93
- ^ a b Ante, Spencer E. (January 5, 2011). "Motorola Is Split Into Two". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola Solutions Inc: NYSE:MSI quotes & news – Google Finance". Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Murph, Darren (October 28, 2009). "Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 on contract, coming November 6th (video)". Engadget. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Mustafa (November 2, 2009). "Motorola Droid "Milestone" Gets European Specs, Adds MultiTouch". The Inquisitr. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ Mahon, Morgan E. A Flick of the Switch 1930–1950 (Antiques Electronics Supply, 1990), p.111.
- ^ "The naming origin of Motorola – High Names – International name agency". January 25, 2013. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ [email protected] new-sentinel-march-14-1958 microfilm
- ^ "From the Archives – First Sales Account Ledger". Motorola Solutions. First use of the Motorola brand. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Calling All Cars". Motorola Solutions. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "Motorola Handie-Talkie SCR536 Portable Radio". Motorola Solutions. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ASIN B0006D6C0S.
- ^ Motorola Solutions History, "A Legacy of Innovation: Timeline of Motorola History Since 1928."
- ^ Illinois Manufacturers Directory, Manufacturers' News, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1962, p. 1108
- ^ CNNMoney.com. Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ "Historic News Releases". Motorola Inc. Archived from the original on April 3, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola: 75 Years of Intelligent Thinking", 2003, page 42
- ^ "Motorola – A Journey Through Time & Technology" pages 75 – 79
- ^ John F. Mitchell, Time Magazine Milestones section, July 6, 2009, p.17
- ^ Encyclopedia.com - https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/businesses-and-occupations/motorola-inc
- ^ Storno History (English) - https://www.storno.co.uk/storno.htm
- ^ AAU - https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/202145375/ICTin_DK_Info.pdf
- ^ Motorola Solutions - https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/en-xw/static_files/1986_Motorola_Annual_Report.pdf
- ^ "Detailed History". Prestolite Electric Inc. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ Beale, Steven (October 1997). "Mac OS 8 Ships with No License Deal". Macworld. Vol. 14, no. 10. pp. 34–36.
- ^ Carlton, Jim (April 14, 1998). "Jobs Makes Headway at Apple, But Not Without Much Turmoil". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "ON Semiconductor". ON Semiconductor. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ "Printrak, A Motorola Company". answers.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola to Buy Printrak for $160 Million". Los Angeles Times. August 30, 2000. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Law enforcement enlists fingerprint technology to fight crime Contract awards latest in string of wins for Printrak International". findarticles.com. April 27, 1995. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola layoffs". Chicago Tribune. June 28, 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ King, Ben (September 28, 2005). "How Britain lost Sendo". The Register. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola acquires TTPCom AJAR Software Platform". Motorola Inc. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "iRadio". Motorola Inc. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ Pletz, John (November 27, 2010). "Greg Brown's Motorola". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ "Safran Completes Acquisition of Motorola's Biometrics Business". Motorola Solutions. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ Reardon, Marguerite (October 30, 2008). "As losses return, Motorola delays its split". CNET. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Motorola Targets First Quarter 2011 to Separate into Two Independent, Publicly Traded Companies" (Press release). Motorola. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "We've acquired Motorola Mobility". Google Official Blog. May 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Gelles, Claire Cain Miller and David (January 29, 2014). "After Big Bet, Google Is to Sell Motorola Unit". Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^ "Hello Moto". Lenovo. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ "Motorola Mobility – Motorola Solutions – About Motorola – Directional Landing Page". Motorola Inc. January 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola profit slides on mobile woes; shares hit 5-year low". MarketWatch. January 23, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola CTO Richard Nottenburg takes off". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola Phones Sales Crash 38 Per Cent". TrustedReviews. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Ziegler, C. (January 21, 2007). "Motorola to lay off 3,500". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Ziegler, C. (June 4, 2007). "Motorola cuts another 4,000 jobs". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ slashing 20% of its research division
- ^ "Motorola sues former employee turned Apple exec for ganking trade secrets". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola insider tells all about the fall of a technology icon". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Olga Kharif and Roger O. Crockett (July 10, 2008). "Motorola's Market Share Mess". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- ^ "Motorola ends fiscal Q2 with healthy profit – GSMArena.com news". Gsmarena.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Balazs, Diana (May 9, 2008). "Companies trying to prevent PV water pollution". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ a b "Greenpeace – Guide to Greener Electronics". Greenpeace International. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola – Material content". Motorola. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motorola – Energy efficiency". Motorola. Archived from the original on August 9, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
Further reading
- Gart, Jason H. (2006). Electronics and Aerospace Industry in Cold War Arizona, 1945–1968: Motorola, Hughes Aircraft, Goodyear Aircraft (PhD. diss.). Arizona State University.
External links
- Official website (archived December 31, 2010)