Schmidt Claims Google Won’t Favor Motorola, Android Not a Rip-Off of iPhone

Reuters:

“In general, with all of our partners, we told them that the Motorola deal will close and we will run it sufficiently and independently, that it will not violate the openness of Android… we’re not going to change in any material way the way we operate,” Eric Schmidt told reporters on his visit to South Korea on Tuesday.

Kudos for being honest: Google already favors some handset makers over others.

In response to a question on criticism by the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, that Android phones ripped off its flagship iPhone, Schmidt said, “the Android effort started before the iPhone effort.”

Kudos for being honest: Android started as a BlackBerry rip-off, then changed to an iPhone rip-off in 2007.

★ Tuesday, 8 November 2011