In recent news we’ve learned that Lenovo, who purchased Motorola Mobility from Google back in 2014, plans to phase out the brand name “Motorola Mobility” in favor of the Lenovo name. Although Motorola Mobility will not be completely gone, as the branding is said to still be visible on product packaging and the like, it’s time to get comfortable with the name “Moto by Lenovo”.
Overall, nothing is lost other than an iconic namesake, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. A rose is a rose by any other name, right? “Motorola Mobility” may not be in use much anymore, but the Moto brand is essentially what “Motorola Mobility” has become at this point anyway. When we talk about the Moto X, the Moto G, Moto 360, or any other Moto products we pretty much already know it’s a “Motorola” product.
Still, I suppose the rebranding is a bittersweet departure. It may not be as recognizable as Apple or Samsung, but many people think fondly of the name Motorola given how many iconic devices the brand has released over the years. In fact, Motorola was the first company to ever release a handheld mobile device. And you can’t forget about the Motorola RAZR, or even the thinner, less-popular KRAZR. There’s also the numerous DROID phones (which I still try to say in that iconic robot voice that ended every DROID commercial when I talk about it). Even 2013’s resurgence of the brand (thanks to Google) via the Moto X is still going relatively strong today.
In short, Motorola’s strong influence may not always be consistent, but they have made many memorable contributions to mobile. I can see why the loss of the name could stir up some uncomfortable feelings.
At the same time, I think this may serve as a good way for Lenovo to get a foot in the door, at least in the U.S. Although I would consider the brand popular in the computer space (I’ve had my Lenovo IdeaPad laptop for over a year, and I love it) they haven’t yet made much of a name for themselves when it comes to smartphones – and to be honest, I don’t think they’ve been interested thus far. Lenovo has been involved in making smartphones for quite some time, and have made some intriguing contributions over the past few years. Lenovo tends to show off their smartphones during CES events, and they’re quite good at sparking jealousy when it comes to design.
With Lenovo behind the wheel of Moto, I can’t say I feel concerned. I think they’ll take good care of what Motorola has become today, and I have high hopes that they’ll only improve on what Moto has become. According to the news regarding the phase out of Motorola Mobility, it would seem that Lenovo has plans to continue using the Moto brand for its high-end devices; additionally, Lenovo also has plans to bring their budget friendly Vibe line to the U.S. market, which is great for the growing amount of budget-friendly (and well-performing) Android smartphones.
Although I’ll always think fondly of the Motorola name, Moto (and Lenovo) will work just as well, and probably even better.