Season 1 · Episode 45
Episode 45: HTC, Google and the Future of Mobile
September 21, 20171h 26m
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pscrb.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Acquired is back and live on the scene! After months of speculation, Google announces today their acquisition (err, "Cooperation Agreement”) of a large portion of HTC’s hardware division. What does this mean for the future of mobile? Can Google transform itself into a vertically integrated device company and compete directly with Apple? Most importantly, when will we see more Beats Android handsets??? (We hope never)
Sponsors:
- WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25
- Intapp: https://bit.ly/intappceleste
- Sentry: https://bit.ly/acquiredsentry
- Anthropic: https://bit.ly/acquiredclaude25
More Acquired!
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC
Topics Covered Include:
- The origins of HTC as a Taiwanese OEM, dating back to the Compaq iPAQ and Palm Treo 650!
- HTC’s long history with Google, starting as the manufacturer of the first Android phone, the HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1
- HTC’s ownership of Beats, for a hot minute
- Google’s own winding history in hardware, with its Motorola acquisition in 2011 and divestiture in 2014
- Google & HTC’s joint work on the Pixel smartphones in 2016
- And much analysis and speculation on what this means for Google, Apple, Samsung, vertical vs horizontal business models and more!
The Carve Out:
- Ben: Odesza’s new album A Moment Apart
- David: Bruce Springsteen on Fresh Air
Topics
technologyiPhonemobileGoogleBusinessPixelMAAppleinvestmentbeatshtcSamsungventurecapitalandroidacquisitionsvcStartUps