Google may be working to tie its struggling Motorola arm even tighter to Google’s own operations, as the mobile device maker is now selling Google’s Chromecast TV streaming dongle directly from its own site. The move is the latest illustration of Google’s control over the company it bought last year, a reality that could give Google’s Android device manufacturing partners pause, as it may signal a growing interconnectedness between the companies. The addition of Motorola as an outlet for purchasing the Chromecast gives consumers multiple options for acquiring the small streaming device, including Best Buy, Amazon, and Google Play.
In order to assuage its Android manufacturing partners’ fears, Google promised upon buying Motorola that it would operate the device maker as a separate arm, and that it would get no special treatment from Google. While Google executives have shown up at Motorola launch events, and while Google has filled the upper echelons of Motorola’s executive lists with former Googlers, the search giant has reportedly kept Motorola at an arm’s length. The appearance of Chromecast on Motorola’s store could signal that that is changing.
