Google Launches Moto X: iPhone Meets Its Match?

Beijing time, August 2nd news - Google officially released its long-awaited Moto X smartphone on Thursday. The product will offer customizable body colors to AT&T users in the United States. It is also the first flagship phone launched since Google acquired Motorola in 2012, aiming to challenge Apple's iPhone.

According to reports, Moto X will be available for sale in the U.S. market at the end of August or early September. With a contract with one of the top five U.S. mobile carriers, the recommended price for purchasing Moto X is $199.99. Google acquired the loss-making Motorola last year, and currently the global smartphone advantage has been dominated by Apple and Samsung. Google’s launch of Moto X aims to restore Motorola's role as a pioneer in mobile phones.

Motorola was once the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. The latest statistics from U.S.-based research company Strategy Analytics show that during the second quarter of this year, Motorola's market share dropped to 2%, ranking it 12th among global smartphone manufacturers. Motorola hopes that by providing multi-color bodies and even using special materials (such as wood and bamboo), consumers will choose their products again.

To fulfill its promise of delivering customized phones to users within four days, Motorola persuaded its production partner Flextronics to set up a factory in the United States. AT&T, the second-largest U.S. mobile carrier, will exclusively have the right to sell customized versions of Moto X to users, offering choices including 18 back cover colors, 2 front panel colors, and 7 concentrated colors within a certain period.

Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular, four mobile carriers, will only sell black and white versions of Moto X.

iPhone rival

Unlike Apple's strict control over the appearance of the iPhone, Google and Motorola have adopted color customization measures for Moto X. Although Motorola's hardware configuration is quite good, it does not use a proprietary operating system but runs an open platform that is also available to hundreds of other smartphones. Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC, a U.S. market research company, said: "The launch of Moto X means Motorola and Google have drawn up a basic roadmap for future market development strategies."

Although Moto X can be considered an "iPhone rival," it cannot yet play the role of an "iPhone killer." For several years, the industry has been eagerly awaiting the so-called "iPhone killer" product, but so far, no device has truly defeated the iPhone. It is expected that Moto X will not be the lucky charm to "kill" the iPhone either.

However, the launch of Moto X clearly demonstrates the stark contrast between Apple and Google in smartphone production philosophy. Apple emphasizes a single user experience and strives for perfection in its products, while Google is more willing to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. Through Moto X, Google and Motorola will give users more control. Whether users want this kind of control remains to be seen.

The success or failure of Moto X in the market will undoubtedly determine whether Apple's or Google's product philosophy aligns with market demand. While some critics complain about Apple's strict inspection procedures, the iPhone has always been the company's heavyweight product. In contrast, are consumers willing to forego some of the latest industry technologies just for their preferred exterior color?

In any case, the Moto X phone represents a completely different concept in smartphone design. The smartphone industry has previously focused on increasing screen size, using faster processors, and adding unique features. But these products were produced with a “take it or leave it” approach. Like the iPhone, Samsung offers a single flagship product, the Galaxy S4, and HTC (HTC) has introduced its HTC One.

Of course, Samsung and HTC have also launched their own variant products, such as the Galaxy S4 Active and HTC One Mini. Nevertheless, the control over the appearance of these products is firmly in the hands of the manufacturers rather than the consumers. Moto X, however, has changed this tradition.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner, a U.S. market research company, believes that the importance of Moto X's customized appearance cannot compare with its role as Google's true flagship device. Although the Google Nexus project will continue, Moto X will become the new starting point for Google's hardware strategy. Milanesi said: "Moto X embodies Google's idea of where smartphones should go to create a highly loyal ecosystem."

Follow-up actions

Motorola hopes that the customization of Moto X's appearance is just the beginning. In the next version of Moto X, Motorola may offer customizable components such as different processors, screen sizes, and storage capacities, giving consumers more control. Although whether this plan will work remains to be seen, it will certainly be one of Motorola's upcoming follow-up actions.

Motorola can naturally take advantage of Moto X to give itself a boost. Since Google acquired Motorola, the mobile phone manufacturer has become a financial burden for Google. During the second quarter, Motorola incurred a loss of $342 million, significantly affecting Google's overall profit.

Motorola still maintains a close relationship with Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless confirmed last week that Motorola is currently the exclusive supplier of its Droid smartphones. However, Motorola's cooperation with other U.S. mobile carriers is not strong, and it lacks products like the iPhone or Galaxy S4 that appeal to all carriers.

Fortunately, all five major U.S. mobile carriers will sell Moto X, which is actually the mobile partner strategy that Apple, Samsung, and HTC have already implemented. Motorola hopes that through Google's superior marketing capabilities and Moto X's customization measures, Moto X will become the first cross-carrier hit product since the Razr ultra-thin phone.

Industry insiders say that after the launch of Moto X, it at least shows that Motorola is trying different strategies. When other smartphone manufacturers are competing to improve the technical parameters of their respective flagship products, Motorola's approach is somewhat different.