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Motorola company. Motorola history

Many associate this company as a manufacturer mobile phones, however, the range of products is much more diverse.

In 1928, entrepreneur Paul Galvin, together with his brother Joseph Galvin, founded the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. The starting budget was $ 750, the bulk of which went to the purchase of working materials and wages five workers (for the first week of work, it was $ 63 for all).

Galvin Manufacturing Corporation produced rectifiers that allowed radios to operate on batteries or electric current carried out in ordinary residential buildings. In 1930, the first Motorola car radio was rolled off the assembly line. Subsequently, the suffix "-ola" began to enjoy popularity among manufacturers of audio electronics, which has survived to this day (radio tape recorder, radio tape recorder). Consequently, the company combined "-ola" with the word "motor", alluding to the automotive theme.

Business was going well, the assortment was gradually expanding. The export of radios for the police was adjusted (1936), which worked only on one frequency. Research and development were carried out constantly. By 1943, Motorola launched the Walkie-talkie, a pocket-sized, short-range, two-way radio. This device served as the basis for an entire class. radioelectronic devices named after them.

In 1947, Galvin Manufacturing Corporation rebranded and changed its name to Motorola inc. The familiar logo, in the form of the letter "M", consisting of two peaks appeared in 1955.

Motorola's developments occupy a huge part of the market with their own developments. In 1947, the company's first television, called the Golden View, was born. As with radios, TVs are sold at a relatively low price point compared to competitors ($ 179.95 versus $ 300 from competing firms). It is thanks to Motorola's low pricing policy that TVs have become a popular consumer product. This gave the company a large market share and sales boost.

In the early 50s, Motorola began to produce transistors and conductors, which it used in its own products. This step will become one of the main components of the future success of the company. Already in 1955, the company announced its first germanium transistor radio, as well as the world's first pager. Apollo spacecraft were equipped with Motorola equipment that carried data from the Moon to Earth (1969)

One of the most important events in the history of the development of Motorola Corporation can be called the first mobile phone DynaTAC, which carried out a real revolution. The first such phone could be purchased in 1984, and, despite the impressive cost of the phone, in a couple of years there were already several million users of the device.

The rapid development of mobile electronics was largely determined by innovations from Motorola.
So, in 1989, the first flip phone appeared - the Motorola MicroTAC.
In 1996, a clamshell phone - Motorola StarTAC appeared.
In 1998 - the appearance of the mobile satellite phone Motorola Iridium 9500.
In 2000, Motorola introduced a mobile phone equipped with an FM receiver - Motorola V2288, as well as the first phone with Internet access (GPRS) - Motorola Timeport 260.
The next year the phone was released in a new form-factor "rotator" - Motorola V70.
A resounding success of the company in 2004 was the flagship Motorola RAZR V3, a thin "clamshell" with metal inserts, which looked very much like a razor (Razor), hence the name RAZR.
True, all the company's achievements did not help the company to hold the first places throughout the entire period of its existence, Motorola fell in the ratings from 2nd to 4th, giving way to Samsung and LG. Experts blame Ed Zander, the head of the company's CEO, who was responsible for promoting the brand on the market, for this. However, the beginning of 2010 gave hope for a revival - Motorola released a popular series of smartphones based on the Android operating system.
By the beginning of 2011, Motorola was restructured into two enterprises:
Motorola Solutions - production of radio electronics for commercial structures and government departments;
Motorola Mobility - tablet computers, phones and smartphones. Since mid-2011, owned by Google (the deal is $ 12.5 billion).

Interesting Facts:

For the development of the first cell phone, Motorola Corporation spent about 10 years and more than $ 100 million (this is at that time!). At that time, their competitors were AT&T Bell Laboratories. Motorola was the first, on April 3, 1973, the main developer - Martin Cooper (Martin Cooper) made the first phone call on mobile communications to the Bell Laboratories office.

The same Martin Cooper later recalled his tests of the DynaTAC. He needed to move around a lot with a heavy phone receiver (its weight was more than one kilogram), which was not so easy for a not young developer.

Slogan: Intelligence Everywhere
hello moto

Most people strongly associate this company with mobile phones. But in fact, the spectrum is much richer and more colorful.

It all began in 1928, when businessman Paul Galvin founded the company with his brother Josef Galvin. The history included the amount that he possessed at that time - $ 750, of which most immediately went to the purchase of the necessary things. By that time, Paul already had a wealth of business experience. According to him, he has already "repeatedly fallen, and thanks to this, he learned to rise."

The first time the company was engaged in network rectifiers, which were assembled by hand by a team of five employees. In 1930, the range of products was expanded - appeared car receiver Motorola. In those years, the suffix "-ola" became very popular among manufacturers of electronics related to sound (it has survived to this day - a radio tape recorder, a radio tape recorder). Thus, the company simply combined this ending with the word "motor", hinting at the automotive component. Motorola became the first commercially successful car radio in history. Its first model was installed on a car Studebaker owned by the company.

Things started to work, the assortment began to expand. There were not only philistine models, but also specially designed for use by the police (1936). Further more. Not only radio receivers began to appear, but also transmitters and radiotelephones. World War II brings additional income... Continuous research and development are underway. In 1943, the first Walkie-talkie appears - a pocket-sized radio with a short range. These devices became the basis for a whole class of devices named after them.

The popularity of all this technology has led to the fact that, since 1947, the company Galvin Manufacturing Corporation changed its name to. The familiar to us logo, in the form of the letter "M" formed by two peaks, appeared later - in 1955. With this logo, the company symbolized its striving upward, towards leadership. This logo, also known as "Emsignia"(or even at all "Batwing""Bat wings"), existed all this time practically unchanged - only in 1967 it was enclosed in a circle. Word "Emsignia" originated as an M-modified word "Insignia""Symbol, emblem".

Equipment is becoming almost the standard. In 1956, the first pager appears. The first ever rectangular picture tube for TV is also a development (1963). The Apollo spacecraft were equipped with equipment from this company, so it belongs to the honor of the first radio transmission from the Moon to Earth (1969).

But the most important event in the history of the company happened in 1973 - the world's first working model of a cell phone appeared. Motorola DynaTAC(DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage). These devices were given to make a real revolution. 10 years have passed before commercial implementation - the first DynaTAC went on sale in 1984. Despite the high cost, the number of cellular users within a few years was estimated at millions.

To very, very many developments, you can tie the prefix "the first in the world." The company is at the forefront of the development of the currently popular GPS and GPRS standards. In 1991 she founded Iridium, Inc.- company satellite communications covering almost the entire surface of the Earth.

She also took part in the development of various microprocessors. So, the first computers Apple were built using these particular processors. They were also used in the first handhelds. Palm... In 2004, the division Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS) turns into an independent company Freescale Semiconductor, Inc .


Motorola MOTORAZR V9

But, as it was already mentioned above, it was mobile phones that brought the greatest fame to Motorola. Especially her famous clamshells - StarTAC(1996), and later MOTORAZR V3(2004). True, in recent years, things have not gone well in the mobile phone market; the company slipped from second place to fourth, losing Samsung Mobile and Lg electronics... The blame for this is Ed Zander, a former CEO whose faulty policies nearly led to collapse. But the beginning of 2010 brought hope for a revival of the company. In the face of smartphones running operating system Google android ... However, in the same year she lost the palm in the USA to the company Apple, and also, for the first time in history, dropped out of the top five mobile phone manufacturers. In her place came the Canadian RIM.

By the beginning of 2011, it was divided into two enterprises:
Motorola Solutions- solutions in the field of communications for government and commercial structures;
Motorola mobility- smartphones, telephones, tablet computers. In May 2012 was acquired Google... And starting in January 2014, it moved to a Chinese electronics manufacturer Lenovo .

At the beginning of 2016, it was decided to abandon the use of the name on mobile phones.

Interesting Facts:

Motorola "invented" the mobile phone in competition with Bell Laboratories... More than 10 years and more than $ 100 million were spent (at the then exchange rate!). And Motorola was the first, not much, but still ahead of its competitor. On April 3, 1973, one of the leading phone developers, Martin Cooper, made the first ever call. Naturally, he called the office Bell Laboratories... Make fun of.

The same Martin Cooper later recalled how hard he had during the trials DynaTAC... After all, I had to walk a lot in order to check the signal level and, in general, the device's performance in different conditions. It was not easy for a middle-aged person to do with a kilogram brick-phone in his hand.

Traditionally, all official phone photos show the time 11:35 AM (nowadays this rule is not always observed). Whole legends have already lined up around this time. A more or less plausible explanation claims that it was at this time that Martin Cooper made his famous call. Another legend is based on a completely different kind of reason: at this time, August 8, 1969, the musicians The beatles crossed the famous Abbey Road to record the album of the same name. This moment is captured on the cover of the album, which was the last ("Let It Be" was mixed after the breakup The beatles). And if this is so, then apparently the creativity of the legendary group was very much appreciated.


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Slogan: Intelligence Everywhere
hello moto

Most people strongly associate this company with mobile phones. But in fact, the spectrum is much richer and more colorful.

It all began in 1928, when businessman Paul Galvin founded the company with his brother Josef Galvin. The history included the amount that he possessed at that time - $ 750, of which most immediately went to the purchase of the necessary things. By that time, Paul already had a wealth of business experience. According to him, he has already "repeatedly fallen, and thanks to this, he learned to rise."

The first time the company was engaged in network rectifiers, which were assembled by hand by a team of five employees. In 1930, the range of products was expanded - the Motorola car receiver appeared. In those years, the suffix "-ola" became very popular among manufacturers of electronics related to sound (it has survived to this day - a radio tape recorder, a radio tape recorder). Thus, the company simply combined this ending with the word "motor", hinting at the automotive component. Motorola became the first commercially successful car radio in history. Its first model was installed on a car Studebaker owned by the company.

Things started to work, the assortment began to expand. There were not only philistine models, but also specially designed for use by the police (1936). Further more. Not only radio receivers began to appear, but also transmitters and radiotelephones. The Second World War brings additional income. Continuous research and development are underway. In 1943, the first Walkie-talkie appears - a pocket-sized radio with a short range. These devices became the basis for a whole class of devices named after them.

The popularity of all this technology has led to the fact that, since 1947, the company Galvin Manufacturing Corporation changed its name to. The familiar to us logo, in the form of the letter "M" formed by two peaks, appeared later - in 1955. With this logo, the company symbolized its striving upward, towards leadership. This logo, also known as "Emsignia"(or even at all "Batwing""Bat wings"), existed all this time practically unchanged - only in 1967 it was enclosed in a circle. Word "Emsignia" originated as an M-modified word "Insignia""Symbol, emblem".

Equipment is becoming almost the standard. In 1956, the first pager appears. The first ever rectangular picture tube for TV is also a development (1963). The Apollo spacecraft were equipped with equipment from this company, so it belongs to the honor of the first radio transmission from the Moon to Earth (1969).

But the most important event in the history of the company happened in 1973 - the world's first working model of a cell phone appeared. Motorola DynaTAC(DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage). These devices were given to make a real revolution. 10 years have passed before commercial implementation - the first DynaTAC went on sale in 1984. Despite the high cost, the number of cellular users within a few years was estimated at millions.

To very, very many developments, you can tie the prefix "the first in the world." The company is at the forefront of the development of the currently popular GPS and GPRS standards. In 1991 she founded Iridium, Inc.- a satellite communications company covering almost the entire surface of the Earth.

She also took part in the development of various microprocessors. So, the first computers Apple were built using these particular processors. They were also used in the first handhelds. Palm... In 2004, the division Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS) turns into an independent company Freescale Semiconductor, Inc .


Motorola MOTORAZR V9

But, as it was already mentioned above, it was mobile phones that brought the greatest fame to Motorola. Especially her famous clamshells - StarTAC(1996), and later MOTORAZR V3(2004). True, in recent years, things have not gone well in the mobile phone market; the company slipped from second place to fourth, losing Samsung Mobile and Lg electronics... The blame for this is Ed Zander, a former CEO whose faulty policies nearly led to collapse. But the beginning of 2010 brought hope for a revival of the company. In the face of smartphones running an operating system Google android... However, in the same year she lost the palm in the USA to the company Apple, and also, for the first time in history, dropped out of the top five mobile phone manufacturers. In her place came the Canadian RIM.

By the beginning of 2011, it was divided into two enterprises:
Motorola Solutions- solutions in the field of communications for government and commercial structures;
Motorola mobility- smartphones, telephones, tablet computers. In May 2012 was acquired Google... And starting in January 2014, it moved to a Chinese electronics manufacturer Lenovo .

At the beginning of 2016, it was decided to abandon the use of the name on mobile phones.

Interesting Facts:

Motorola "invented" the mobile phone in competition with Bell Laboratories... More than 10 years and more than $ 100 million were spent (at the then exchange rate!). And Motorola was the first, not much, but still ahead of its competitor. On April 3, 1973, one of the leading phone developers, Martin Cooper, made the first ever call. Naturally, he called the office Bell Laboratories... Make fun of.

The same Martin Cooper later recalled how hard he had during the trials DynaTAC... After all, I had to walk a lot in order to check the signal level and, in general, the device's performance in different conditions. It was not easy for a middle-aged person to do with a kilogram brick-phone in his hand.

Traditionally, all official phone photos show the time 11:35 AM (nowadays this rule is not always observed). Whole legends have already lined up around this time. A more or less plausible explanation claims that it was at this time that Martin Cooper made his famous call. Another legend is based on a completely different kind of reason: at this time, August 8, 1969, the musicians The beatles crossed the famous Abbey Road to record the album of the same name. This moment is captured on the cover of the album, which was the last ("Let It Be" was mixed after the breakup The beatles). And if this is so, then apparently the creativity of the legendary group was very much appreciated.


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Motorola - a corporation engaged in the development and implementation of new electronic systems and business solutions. Is one of world leaders areas of introduction of new technologies in the sector of consumer solutions (mobile devices). The headquarters is located in Schauburg, state Illinois.

Was established in 1928 year... Before 1947 of the year had a name Galvin manufacturing in honor of the Galvin brothers who created it. But with the exit of the automobile portable radio entitled Motorola, which had immense popularity, began to be called Motorola.

General Manager company is - Sanjay jha(Sanjay Jah).

From the merits of the company can be distinguished - invention pager v 1956 year. The devices are still used today in hospitals and other places where it is urgent to communicate that someone's presence is needed.

Also, the company was a pioneer in the development of the mobile phone market, the first to launch a commercial mobile phone Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (at the price of $3995 ). But more importantly, it was an employee of the company that made the first cell phone call in the world. Motorola, 11:35 AM - April 3 - 1973 years, ushering in an era of mass mobile technologies and phones. Therefore, in almost all demonstration slides of new products, the clock is 11:35.

The company has three divisions:

  • Mobile solutions for home and mobile networks (Home & Networks Mobility ) (sold in 2010 to the companyNokia Siemens for $ 1.2 billion)
  • Moby flax devices (Mobile Devices, Motorola mobility )

Motorola mobility is producing mobile devices, from sports watches with pedometer to.

  • Enterprise mobility solutions (Enterprise Mobility Solutions )


Motorola Solutions deals with security systems, industrial equipment, video surveillance systems and motion sensors. The company is also a consultant for quality communications and improving the productivity of enterprises and communications. The company's customers are large enterprises and products for the mass market. Motorola Solutions not released with rare exceptions.

Financial position of the company 2007-2012 and merger with Google Corporation.

WITH 2007 before 2009 years, the business of the company went very bad... It was connected with sales failures of the mobile division... Things began to get better only in 2010, not without losses in the assets of the company that sold the business of biometric devices (French Safran) and the telecommunications division for mobile systems and operators (companies - Siemens).

But even without the sale of divisions, the company would have remained in the black in terms of revenue.

At the moment, the company produces mobile phones, modems for cable TV, equipment, radio stations, as well as some types microchips.

In the third quarter, it was announced that the mobile division ( Motorola mobility ) will be sold corporations Google, for a little less $ 10 billion For Google, the main reason for the purchase was to receive huge patent package available to Motorola and the presence of a manufacturer of devices for their OS Android... And competitors in the form and Apple started filing patent lawsuits to crush Android... Companies Motorola and Google, before that there were pretty close, because "Moto" one of the first to support Android the release of their communicators (thanks to the experience in the production Linux compatible devices it was pretty easy). Representatives Google stated that will not interfere too actively in the management of the acquired company and this was one of the conditions of the transaction.

Antimonopoly Services USA and European Union approved the deal without any problems, however Chinese antitrust authorities were against. Will the deal go through without problems or will it be known differently by the end 2012 of the year.

Motorola is a symbol of the advanced achievements of radio electronics of the twentieth century. Most of her successful projects were based on the timely introduction into mass production of the most advanced inventions in the field of radio engineering, electronics, telecommunications and computer technology... The company's most famous products include a whole series of military developments in the field of communications. The company's products have found wide application in the space industry. Currently, the name of the company is widely associated with the name of the brand. cell phones, which was popular about 10 years ago. Being at the origins of creation modern ways communications and communications, as well as possessing a significant baggage of patented technologies, the company, however, lost its independence and was absorbed by other companies in parts.

Company `s logo

The history of the creation and formation of Motorola

Motorola was founded in 1928 in Chicago. The original name of the company is Galvin Manufacturing Corporation.

It was founded by two brothers named Galvins, Paul and Joseph, on the basis of the company they bought out for the production of current rectifiers. These devices became the first products. Office, trading floor and production facilities were located in the same building. The circumstances of Motorola's business start became legendary:

  • $ 750 - the purchase of a bankrupt company Stewart Battery;
  • equipment for the production of rectifiers;
  • assembly technology;
  • $ 565 in reserve.

Two years later, the new company developed and launched the Motorola car radio, which brought its first commercial success. In 1947, the name of this product will become the name of the company (Motorola Inc.) and its trademark. In the first year alone, about 3,000 copies were sold for almost $ 300,000. But the real commercial success of the company was brought by the Second World War.

A military order for the production of portable radios for the US Army brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, so that by the end of the 40s, Motorola had become one of the leading companies in the American industry. The year 1947 was marked not only by the name change, but also by the release of the cheapest television set in the United States by Motorola. In 1948, Motorola receivers became standard equipment in Chrysler, Ford and General Motors vehicles. The course towards the development and implementation of new technologies provided Motorola with a long and happy life until the end of the century. The company had sufficient resources to spend huge sums on new developments. In the early 50s, a whole research and development complex was launched, the patented developments of which are still the most valuable capital of the company.

Motorola's first car radio

Devices that changed the world

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the history of the company has been a series of breakthroughs in the field of radio-electronic technologies. In 1955, the production of cheap germanium-based transistors began. This served as an impetus for the development of fundamentally new systems of radio equipment and opened the way for contracts related to the space program. Motorola's radio signal transmitters have long served as the basis for space communications in the United States, used in the lunar program, on military and research satellites. The world's first transistorized receiver (1956) is a Motorola product, as well as a pager (the same receiver by design). But the production and sale of televisions became the main engine of Motorola's commercial success in the 1960s. In the early 70s, the company relies on radiotelephony and computers. Active participation in space programs continues. Motorola has been a pioneer in many areas:

All these developments have found wide application in industry and became the basis for the company's further commercial success. In the early 80s, Motorola became one of the leading suppliers of electronics for the automotive industry.

At the dawn of the cellular era

The production of the first commercial cell phone was the culmination of decades of research and development and a multi-million dollar investment. This phone went on sale in 1983 and was called the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. Weighing just under 1 kg, this product lasted only 60 minutes. talk time and charged for 10 hours. He already had a keyboard, which became the prototype for all subsequent generations of cell phones, as well as a memory for 30 numbers. The device cost $ 4,000 and was very popular with customers in the United States. But the Motorola MicroTAC phone, which went on sale in 1989, was already outwardly different from the forms modern devices only a protruding antenna. You could carry it in your pocket. In terms of content, this device was very similar to its predecessor. It had an LED display and the same price point - $ 3,500. This device with a hinged cover can be considered the prototype of all mobile phones of the 21st century. The bulk of the population in Russia saw this miracle of technology for the first time when one of the characters from the movie "Pulp Fiction" picked it up.

One step ahead

The golden times and worldwide fame for Motorola as a manufacturer of cell phones came in the 90s of the twentieth century. Since 1996, Motorola StarTAC clamshell phones have begun their triumphant march around the world. The first models were tightly tied to a specific operator in the United States.

The SIM cards in the earliest phones of this series were of the same size as a payphone card. The latest versions of this phone supported the GSM standard. One of the memorable technical innovations used for the first time is the vibrating bell. Over the next 6 years of the tremendous commercial success of clamshell phones from Motorola, many modifications were released that were very different from technical side, therefore "StarTAC" should be considered the name of the concept and not specific model... All developments in the field of "telephone construction" from "Motorola", made at the turn of the century, were distinguished by some technical novelty, which competitors immediately copied. Motorola V3788 (1999) - a budget device available to all segments of the population, had a special adapter where you could insert regular AAA batteries. Motorola V2288 (2000) - this is a multi-colored case, FM-radio and a notebook.

The Motorola Timeport 7389i (2000) could be used as a modem for a PC, since it supported data transfer using GPRS technology.

The Motorola V60 (2001) is a phone similar to the StarTAC, but with a player and a second display on the outside of the lid. Models V70 and V80 (2002-2004) - "rotators" - are very indicative from the point of view of the history of the company's crisis. In terms of content, these devices did not differ from competitors, but in shape they resembled a butterfly knife.

The company increasingly relied on external design, and competitors achieved great success in implementation technical innovations... The era of powerful smartphones was dawning.

Fatal failure

The Iridium project, in which Motorola has invested hundreds of millions, is cellular from anywhere in the world with the help of one operator via satellites. This idea was way too far ahead of its time. Cheap roaming left no chance for the success of this project. Iridium's global communications system, like many of the company's other pioneering ventures, in which a lot of money was invested at the turn of the century, did not make a profit.

RAZR V3 (2004) - the last success, or the decline of the empire

The phones of this series were Motorola's last successful project. But again, the shape made them popular - they were very thin. In terms of content, they were losing to competitors from the very beginning. The bet on design could not ensure success for a long time, since the same Samsung immediately began to churn out ultra-thin phones that surpassed Motorola not only in functional terms, but were also more diverse in form. Gradually, the RAZR V3 evolved from a $ 800 image phone to a mainstream model that cost less than $ 200.

The sophisticated wow factor made it profitable for a while, but other factors were paramount to success in the cell phone market. The aging triplet platform of these devices did not allow turning the RAZR V3 into powerful smartphone filled with entertainment and communication innovations as much as possible.

Attempts to create smartphones on Windows platform Mobile (L, U, and K series) and Linux (phones with touch screen series Z and A), led to the creation of very expensive devices that functionally lost to competitors and did not have success in mass sales. As a result, in 2007 the share of the cell phone market decreased from 23% to 13%, with a net loss of almost $ 50 million.

Division and sale of a company in parts

Attempts to release highly profitable models of smartphones on a modern platform led to the emergence of a number of solid and high-quality models, which still could not return the company to its lost positions in the market. The sliders of the Z8 and Z10 series on the Symbian UIQ platform deserve mention as an example of an unsuccessful investment of the company's capital.
Motorola acquired 50% of the shares of the developer of this platform, UIQ company. Motorola smartphones Droid (Android OS) in all modifications failed to attract customers, because they simply joined a long line of all kinds of android devices that filled the shelves of stores where other brands were leading. As a result, Motorola incurred losses, and the share price dropped to a critical level. In the history of the company, there have already been divisions and sales of entire areas of production. Back in the early 70s of the last century, Motorola sold the production of TVs to a Japanese company. In 2004, the production of semiconductors and automotive electronics was spun off and sold.

The next split happened in 2011. The status of an independent company was acquired by the production of telecommunication equipment (Motorola Solutions). Unprofitable mobile phone manufacturing was transformed into Motorola Mobility, which was bought by Google in August 2011 for $ 12.5 billion, $ 40 per share. The high price was due to the value of the patent portfolio that forms the basis of Motorola's intellectual property. The production part of the company was immediately laid off. Google partners who used the Android OS in the production of their products feared that Google would abandon the partnership and become a monopoly. As a result, the production capacity of Motorola Mobility suffered an irrecoverable loss.