With the acquisition, Google gains a portfolio of 17,000 patents and another 7,000 patents pending globally, an area where it is a currently a laggard. But more than anything, it signals how crucial it is for Google to control the Android experience from soup to nuts.

Up until now, Google has taken the Windows approach to mobile—create an OS that all manufacturers can build on top of and just concentrate on the software—but that approach is not enough. More than 550,000 Android phones are activated every day across 39 manufacturers, but there is no single phone or Android manufacturer that can best the iPhone. By owning Motorola, Google can create Android phones to its exact specifications and take advantage of the latest advances in the operating system, just like Apple does. When CEO Larry Page says that buying Motorola will “supercharge” Android, that is what he means I suspect.