Gadget manufacturers

Motorola, now defunct, is strongly associated with phones by most users. In fact, its assortment is much more diverse, and the history is quite interesting.

Motorola was founded in Chicago in 1928 when the Galvin brothers purchased the manufacturing designs of bankrupt Stewart Battery for $750 at auction. They opened a small store in a rented building and hired five employees, whose first week's wages were just over $60. New company was named Galvin Manufacturing Corporation.

Paul Galvin was a businessman who had already repeatedly failed, but learned to deal with the situation with dignity, as well as to negotiate. He was born at Harvard and from childhood was obsessed with the idea of ​​making money. As a teenager, young Paul sold popcorn at the train station, learning the laws of the market along the way. While his classmates were doing their homework, Galvin was picking out seasonal produce. For example, in the summer he could sell ice cream, and in the winter - sandwiches. Paul moonlighted as a trader until the moment when he passed the entrance exams for admission to the university. After receiving a bachelor's degree, he was drafted into the army and spent two years in the war in Europe, where he was even promoted to captain. His first venture was a battery company in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, it lasted only three years, after which it was closed for non-payment of taxes. The office was sealed with outerwear Paul (later he recalled that he was especially sorry for his coat). To support his family, he took a temporary job as a secretary and a few years later tried again to open a battery company. This enterprise also lasted a couple of years. Whatever it was, Galvin did not give up. He bought the property of the bankrupt company at auction. At the same time, he was greatly helped by his younger brother Joseph, who invested his own cash to Paul's business. So their joint company was born, and the Galvin brothers finally began to lead the business of a lifetime.

The company's first products were rectifiers, devices that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household electricity. However, radio communication technology did not stand still and constantly developed, and therefore rectifiers very soon became obsolete. At the same time, Paul Galvin learned that some radio engineers were installing devices in their own cars, and instructed his engineers to develop inexpensive car radios that most owners could afford. Vehicle. This idea was successful, and Galvin was able to demonstrate a working model of the receiver in 1930 at a convention in Atlantic City. From there, he returned with the number of orders that allowed his business to stay afloat.

Paul Galvin also thought about giving his trademark a new name. The development of car radio was preceded by the idea of ​​the name "Motorola", which combined the words "motor" with the suffix "ola", meaning the corresponding sound, an exclamation. Thus, the new brand name actually meant moving sound. Subsequently, the company will also change its name to Motorola. It is interesting that even today we use the expression "radio", meaning an automotive device that combines the features of a radio and a tape recorder. Thus, the invention of Paul Galvin became a new milestone in the history of radio electronics.

The future Motorola company began selling its car receivers in the 1930s to police departments and municipalities. I must say that many subsequent projects of the company were related to radio electronics. So, in 1940 Motorola developed the world's first handheld radio. Subsequently, the company will move to defense electronics, then to cellular technologies and manufacturing mobile devices. In 1940, Motorola created their own research and development program with Dr. Dan Noble. To do this, he even headed the company's research. During World War II, the AM SCR-536 radio would be designed and manufactured and played a pivotal role in Allied Communications. In terms of the price of contracts for military production during the same war, Motorola will be in 94th place among all others.

In 1943, the company would finally be called Motorola Inc. This event will coincide with the release of the VK101 Consolette radio. After that, the company will focus on the sale of radios and televisions. In three years, the turn of the radiotelephone for cars will come.

Years after Motorola opened a research lab in Arizona, in 1955 the first commercial germanium-based high-power transistor was introduced. Logo with the letter "M", reminiscent of wings bat appeared in the same year. It was made famous graphic designer from Chicago by Morton Goldshall in 1954.

Since the 1950s, the company's radio equipment has been popular on amateur radio stations. Particularly avid "fans" continued to use Motorola devices for many years and even decades after they had already been discontinued.

The company was also engaged in the production of televisions. In 1947, the VT-71 came out with a 7-inch CRT. In the early 60s, it was the turn of the first wireless large-screen TV and a rectangular color telescope. The company sold its television business in 1974 to Matsushita, Panasonic's parent company.

But back to the 50s. In 1952, the company opened its first division in Canada, whose employees worked on radio and television. V next year it will establish a fund to support leading American universities. Since 1958, the company has supplied radio equipment for most of NASA's space missions. This went on for years, until the moon landing in 1969. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, uttered his famous words about the "giant leap for all mankind" through a Motorola transceiver from there. So the company managed to indirectly enter the history of astronautics.

It should be noted that Motorola has created many products for government, public safety, and general consumer use (including laptops, PC processors, radios, and telephones). In 1964, the first research branch outside the United States, in Israel, will be opened, and already in 1973, the first hand-held portable telephone will be introduced. In a year, Motorola will release its first eight-bit microprocessor, which will be used in computing, cars and video games.

The headquarters was moved to suburban Chicago in 1976. The next generation 32-bit microprocessor arrived in 1980, and this event led to a wave of new technology development that spurred the computer revolution in '84.

In the fall of 1983, the FCC approved the DynaTAC 8000X telephone, the world's first commercial cellular device. By 1998, mobile devices accounted for two-thirds of Motorola's gross revenue. The company was also strong in semiconductor technology (including integrated circuits used in computers). So, together with IBM, she developed a special PowerPC architecture. Its basis was a prototype created at IBM in the late 70s.

In 1986, the concept of "six sigma" was developed, which later became the world standard. Its essence was reduced to the need to improve quality in production. Subsequently, it will be widely popularized and become a familiar standard.

In 1990, GI Corporation, which was later bought by Motorola, first offered the all-digital HDTV standard, that is, high-definition television. In the same year, she introduced the Bravo pager, which became a worldwide bestseller.

Some time later, Motorola was able to showcase the first prototype GSM phones and digital cellular system in Germany. Three years later, the company introduced the first digital radio system on commercial basis in the world, and a year later - the first two-way pager.

In 1998, the company managed to overtake Nokia as the largest seller mobile phones in the world. In the fall of the following year, she announced that she was going to acquire the aforementioned GI corporation, which for a long time was the No. 1 supplier of cable and television equipment. This meant that now all the network components of cable television were taken over by Motorola.

Another merit of the company was that its specialists developed the world's first GPRS phone. In the early 2000s, the world's first handset phone followed, which combined Java technology and Linux OS with PDA functionality. In 2006, it acquired the AJAR software platform, and a year later, Symbol Technologies.

It's the winter of 2011 outside, and Motorola is still divided into two separate divisions, each of which has a name with the word "Motorola". Motorola Solutions, which used the blue version of the logo, was based in a Chicago suburb and focused on radio, police technology, and commerce. Another, Motorola Mobility, was located in a different suburb of the city, used a red logo and worked on mobile phones. The division was organized in such a way that the first firm was the successor old company Motorola, while the second was a spin-off. In the summer of 2011, Google announced their intention to acquire Motorola Mobility. Most of the shareholders voted for this decision. However, in the spring of next year, this solution was closed, and Google acquired MMI.

In the fall of 2014 Motorola Mobility is acquired by Lenovo. At the same time, Google claims ownership of the vast majority of the patent portfolio, but Lenovo receives a license for it. In addition, the latter get over two thousand patent assets, as well as the Motorola Mobility brand and trademark portfolio. At the same time, MM headquarters remained in Chicago and continued to use its own brand - only the president has changed.

Today, the company's mobile division develops cordless phones and licenses most of its intellectual property. It also develops cellular and wireless systems, integrated applications and Bluetooth accessories. The latest gadgets include Moto G2, smart watches Moto 360 and so on.

Now a little about the company's by-products. In 1974, Motorola withdrew from its radio and television division, which included the Quasar electronics brand. This division was acquired by Matsushita, already known by its Panasonic brand in North America.

Motorola has developed a global communications network using a set of seventy-seven satellites. The business ambitions behind this project and the need for increased venture capital to fund it led to the creation of Iridium in the late 90s. Unfortunately, she was never able to attract enough clients, and she filed for bankruptcy in 1999. The loss of income also forced the company to wind down the ONNN business. For this network, Motorola even manufactured two satellites and a transceiver. The company was also involved in the production of semiconductors, automotive alternators and electromechanical speedometers. Car business was sold to Motorola in the summer of 2006. From 2000 to 2008, the company also owned Printrak International, thanks to which it also had biometrics in its reserves. software.

Motorola

Founded: 1928

Country: USA

History of Motorola

The evolution of Motorola and the changes in the nature of its products reflect the influence of the electronics industry on many aspects of life in the twentieth century.

1928 Paul W. Galvin (1895-1959) and his brother Joseph E. Galvin (1899-1944) purchase the
AC rectifiers owned by the bankrupt Stuart Storage Battery Company in Chicago, Illinois. September 25, 1928 they establish the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation.

1928 Galvin Manufacturing Corporation hires premises at 847 West Harrison Street, Chicago. There are five employees and the payroll for the first week is $63. The corporation's assets include $565 in cash, $750 worth of equipment, and the design of a "battery replacement" (rectifier), the company's first product.

1930 Net sales is $287.256.

1930 Galvin Manufacturing Corporation manufactures the first practical and affordable car radio. Paul Galvin comes up with the name Motorola for the company's new products, combining the concepts of "motion" and "radio" in it.

1936 The Police Cruiser, an AM autoradio tuned to a single frequency to receive police messages, represents Motorola's first attempt at a new sphere radio communications.

1937 A new series of household radios is announced. More than half of American households already own radios. Motorola aims to provide them to the other half.

1940 Net sales 9.936.558 USD. Number of employees 985 people.

1940 Daniel Noble (1902-1980), a pioneer in FM radio and semiconductor technology, joins Motorola as head of research. A Communications Unit is being created. In 1941, a branch corporation is organized, responsible for the sale of Motorola Communications and Electronics Incorporated products.

1940 Motorola first develops a hand-held transceiver for the US Army Signal Corps. The portable radio with amplitude modulation "Handy-Toky" turns into one of the symbols of the Second World War.

1941 Motorola's first integrated AM police radio transceiver system is installed in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Motorola introduces the first commercial line of FM radio transceivers.

1943 The first portable FM transceiver, a "walkie talkie" that fits in a backpack, is developed at Motorola by Dan Noble. Together with the Handy Current carried in the hand, it played a vital role in communications on the battlefields throughout Europe and the South Pacific during World War II.

1947 The Motorola trademark is already so widely known that the name of the company, Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, is changed to Motorola Incorporated.

1948 Motorola's first product in the television business, the $179 Model VT71 "Golden View" television, the first television model to be priced below $200.

1949 With the Dispatcher FM radio transceiver series, the company took advantage of the fact that the frequency range allocated to a rapidly growing number of industrial and commercial users was extended.

1949 Daniel Noble opens Motorola's research and development facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Anticipating the enormous potential of the newly invented transistor, it helps Motorola become one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers.

1950 Net sales - 177.104.669 dollars. Number of employees - 9325 people.

1955 Motorola adopts a new company logo in the form of the letter M, reminiscent of a bat.

1956 Motorola's first consumer product assembled using transistors was a car radio. It is smaller and more durable than previous models, and consumes less power from the machine's battery.

1956 Another radio communication device - a compact radio receiver called a "pager" makes it possible to transmit radio messages selectively to a specific person who carries it with him. Hospitals are among the first to use pagers.

1956 Robert W. Galvin is named president of Motorola Inc. Paul W. Galvin is elected chairman of the board and becomes chief administrator.

1956 Where Motorola used to manufacture transistors and semiconductors exclusively for use in its own radios, televisions, and other communications equipment, the company now becomes a commercial manufacturer and supplier of semiconductors for sale to other manufacturers. The Semiconductor Products Division is established.

1959 Motorola introduces the Motrak, the first two-way mobile radio with an all-transistor power supply and receiver. Low power consumption allows you to use it without turning on the car engine. Although Motrak costs twice as much as its predecessor models, it sells superbly.

1959 The X-11 portable pocket radio is Motorola's first all-transistor radio.

1960 Net sales 299.065.922 USD. Number of employees 14.740 people.

1961 With the development of a variety of low cost silicon rectifier technologies for automotive synchronous generators, the synchronous generator becomes an economical replacement for the less durable autogenerator. The Automotive Products Division begins production of synchronous generators, establishing the company as a supplier of under-hood electronics.

1962 On its flight to Venus, the Mariner 2 spacecraft used a Motorola repeater to provide radio communications over a distance of 54 million miles (87 million km).

1962 Motorola introduces the all-transistor HT-200 FM "Handy-Toky" portable transceiver. The 33 ounce (936 g) radio was called the "brick" because of its shape and robust construction.

1964 As a joint development with National Video, Motorola creates the first rectangular cathode ray tube for color television. This CRT is rapidly becoming the industry standard.

1965 As the production cost of semiconductors decreases, their use in consumer electronics expands, resulting in a vast market. Motorola is responding to this with a full range of cheap plastic cased transistors. The design of these devices is eventually adopted by the entire semiconductor industry.

1967 A circle is added to the company logo.

1967 Motorola introduces the Quasar series of color televisions, America's first all-transistor color television set. Their design ensures ease of repair, a feature highlighted in trademark"Works in a Drawer" (Plant in a drawer).

1967-1978 Motorola expands its international operations by establishing facilities in many countries, including Australia, England, Mexico and Puerto Rico. In France and Japan, joint ventures for the production of automotive and other products are being created.

1969 Astronaut Neil Armstrong's first words spoken on the Moon are transmitted to Earth via a repeater designed and manufactured by the Division electronic products under government orders from Motorola.

1969 Motorola's new FM handheld radio is half the size and lighter of the predecessor NT-200. This new model, HT-220 "Handy Currents", is based on the use of two specially designed integrated circuits, replacing a total of 51 independent parts.

1970 Net sales 796.418.521 USD. Number of employees 36.000 people.

1971 A Motorola radio is installed on the Rover lunar rover to provide voice communication over a distance of 240,000 miles (386,000 km) between the Earth and the Moon. This receiver is 100 times more sensitive than a conventional car radio, yet weighs only 1.5 pounds (680 g).

1974 Motorola begins production of its first microprocessor, the 6800. Early buyers include automotive, communications, industrial, and office equipment companies. 1974 Motorola's consumer TV businesses, including those under the famous Quasar brand, are sold.

1976 Motorola opens its 325-acre international headquarters in Chamburg, outside of Chicago, Illinois.

1977 An experimental radiotelephone system is tested, called "cellular" by analogy with "cells" - the layout of base stations.

1978 Motorola introduces a series of computer-controlled radio systems and communication devices based on trunking. The trunking method allows operators to rationally use congested parts of the range.

1979 Motorola introduces its first 16-bit microprocessor, the 68000. With a speed of up to 2 million operations per second, it can be used to run scientific, data processing, and business programs.

1979 General quality products and production activities Motorola is discussed in detail at the meeting officials corporations. By the mid-1980s, a company-wide quality improvement program was launched.

1980 Net sales 3.098.763.000 USD. Number of employees 71.500 people.

1980 Voyager I photographs of Saturn are received. Data is sent to Earth over a billion miles away. The Motorola equipment installed on Voyager I and II is the main means of communication with the Earth.

1980 Electronic components for the automotive industry become one of the priority markets for Motorola's microprocessors. Electronic engine control modules that allow efficient and economical use of fuel are produced for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

1983 After years of development, the first DynaTAC cellular system is launched. 1984 Motorola creates the first 32-bit microprocessor, the MC68020, which contains 200,000 transistors, allowing memory access up to 1 billion bits. The MC68HC11 microcontroller has also been released.

1984 Motorola creates the first 32-bit microprocessor, the MC68020, which contains 200,000 transistors, allowing memory access up to 1 billion bits. The MC68HC11 microcontroller has also been released.

1985 Contracts signed to provide systems cellular communication for New York, Philadelphia, Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as for expanding the configuration of systems in the UK, Scandinavia and Japan. Cellular Group and Motorola Computer Systems merge to form General Systems Group.

1986 Motorola invests more than $40 million in the education of its employees.
The Motorola Training and Education Center (MTEC) becomes the central authority and is housed in the new Galvin Center for Continuing Education. 1990 MTEC becomes Motorola University.

1987 Motorola releases its latest car radio. New types of products include instrumentation for cars and trucks and on-board computers.

1988 Motorola wins the first Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award, initiated by the US Congress to support American business in the pursuit of product quality.

1989 Launched the smallest and lightest cellular telephone MicroTAC.

1990 Net sales 10.885.000.000 USD. Number of employees 105.000 people.

1990 Government Electronics Division supplies radio equipment for the Galileo, Magellan and Hubble Space telescopes.

1991 The development of a satellite communication system continues, which will provide the possibility of connecting a subscriber anywhere in the world. The Iridium system consists of small low-orbit satellites connected to a single network.

1991 Exhibition displays at the new Motorola Electronics Museum highlight the close relationship between Motorola's evolution and the electronics industry

1993 The new Power PC microprocessor, jointly developed by Apple Computer, IBM, and Motorola, uses Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) technology to increase speed.

1993 Annual demand for pagers in China rises to nearly 4 million. Motorola launches pagers in China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea as well as in Europe and the Americas.

1994 The Messaging, Information and Media Sector (MIMS) begins developing technologies and markets for non-voice wireless messaging and multimedia products.

1994 The number of company employees working in the Asia-Pacific region is 33,000 people.

1995 The Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network (iDEN) combines wireless data delivery and messaging technologies.

199 6 The StarTAC Handheld Phone is the world's smallest and lightest satellite phone.

1996 Motorola announces M-Star satellite communications for global voice, video and high-speed data communications.

1996 Radio Forte, which has handwriting recognition software and two-way radio functionality, wins the Communication Equipment Industrial Design Award.

1997 Christopher Galvin, grandson of founder Paul Galvin, appointed Director of Motorola

1998 Motorola redesigns its communications business to allocate resources efficiently and respond quickly and appropriately to consumer expectations.

1999 The world's smallest and lightest cell phone, the v3688, is launched.

2000 The world's first commercial cellular phone to support GPRS technology was the MOTOROLA Timeport P7389i. In 2000, it was discontinued and replaced by the more advanced MOTOROLA Timeport 260.

2000 Launched iRadio™ Telematics Systems. A Java-based software platform for motorists to connect to customized local services, quickly get virtually any vehicle location and shortest path information, listen to music of their choice, engage in e-commerce, and enjoy email. And all this - thanks to the latest electronic devices with speech recognition and some other features - right in the car, without being distracted from driving.

2001 Launch of the Motorola V100 Personal Communicator, a mobile organizer and mobile terminal in one device.

2002 Motorola launched the most progressive and most expressive mobile phone, the Motorola V70. Small, light and subtly stylish. Interchangeable metal display rings, blue backlit keyboard, along with an enhanced feature set will make even the most progressive young people stand out from the crowd. This device is simply gorgeous and superbly simple!

For many, this company is associated as a manufacturer of mobile phones, but the range of products is much more diverse.

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

The Galvin Manufacturing Corporation produced rectifiers that allowed radios to run on batteries or electricity supplied to ordinary residential buildings. In 1930, the first radio receiver for Motorola cars rolled off the assembly line. In the future, the suffix "-ola" began to be popular among manufacturers of audio electronics, which has survived to this day (radiola, radio tape recorder). Consequently, the company combined "-ola" with the word "motor", alluding to an automotive theme.

Things went well, the range gradually expanded. The export of radiograms for the police (1936), which worked on only one frequency, was adjusted. Research and development was constantly carried out. By 1943, Motorola releases the Walkie-talkie (Walki-talkie) - a pocket radio station with a short range and two-way communication. This device served as the basis for a whole class of electronic 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 developments. In 1947, the company's first television set, called the Golden View, was born. As with radio equipment, televisions are sold at a relatively low price compared to competitors ($179.95 versus $300 for competing firms). It is thanks to the low pricing policy Motorola TVs have become popular item mass consumption. This gave the company a large market share and sales stimulation.

In the early 50s, Motorola began to produce transistors and conductors, which it used in its own products. It is this step that will become one of the main components of the future success of the company. Already in 1955, the company announces its first germanium transistor radio, as well as the world's first pager. The Apollo spacecraft were equipped with Motorola equipment that transmitted 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 DynaTAС, 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 phone with a flip cover appeared - Motorola MicroTAC.
In 1996, a clamshell phone appeared - Motorola StarTAC.
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 following year, a phone was released in a new rotator form factor - the Motorola V70.
The resounding success of the company in 2004 was the flagship Motorola RAZR V3, a thin "clamshell" with metal inserts, which was very similar to a razor (Razor), hence the name RAZR.
True, all the achievements of the company did not help the company to stay in first place throughout its existence, Motorola fell in the ratings from 2nd place to 4th, leaving Samsung and LG ahead. Experts blame this on Ed Zander, the head of the company's CEO department, who was responsible for promoting the brand on the market. However, the beginning of 2010 gave hope for a revival - Motorola released a popular series of smartphones on operating system Android.
By early 2011, Motorola restructured into two businesses:
Motorola Solutions - production of radio electronics for commercial structures and government departments;
Motorola Mobility - tablet computers, phones and smartphones. Since mid-2011, it has been owned by Google (the deal amount is $12.5 billion).

Interesting Facts:

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

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

Was dedicated to Nokia. Today we offer you material on Motorola. This company stood at the origins of the birth of mobile phones, and is still one of the top three manufacturers in the world. The solutions presented by Motorola at different times largely determined state of the art the global mobile phone market. The more interesting to follow the development of the company.

history of the company

The history of the American company Motorola is inseparable from the history of mobile phones. However, even before their inception, the company was considered a world leader in a number of areas. The birth of the company, as well as the first 30 years of its existence, is associated with the name of the founder of Motorola, Paul Galvin. Thanks to this charismatic personality, the company has become a leader in the field of radio communications. He also laid the foundation for Motorola's future success as a manufacturer and supplier of semiconductors. Which eventually led the company to the telecommunications market, where Motorola is now one of the leading players. On September 25, 1928, the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation was founded in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by Paul Galvin and his younger brother Joseph. Before that, Paul had already had two unsuccessful business experiences - in the field of manufacturing batteries for a portable radio. Yes, and this time the beginning was not impressive. The company's assets included $565 (Joseph E. Galvin's share), mains power supply manufacturing equipment (purchased by Paul for the last $750), and mains rectifier design. At first, it was the rectifiers, which made it possible to power a portable radio from the mains, that were the main products of the company. Then Paul Galvin, with his characteristic vigor, switched to new market- radio receivers. In 1930, the company introduced the first inexpensive ($110) and practical (no need to turn off the engine) car radio. For publicity purposes, Paul Galvin even placed it in his car. The car radio was a hit on the bull's-eye. By the end of the year, sales reached $287,256. For car radios, Paul Galvin came up with his own trademark- Motorola (from the English. Motion - movement and Victrola - the name of the radio receiver then known). Following the car company began to produce portable radios. As an assortment solution, in 1936, special car radios for police officers appeared. They were tuned to only one frequency. Cooperation with the state did not end there. Possessed of amazing intuition, Paul Galvin foresaw the Second World War. Therefore, the company set about creating a portable army radio station that provided duplex communication. In 1940, the Handie-talkie radio appeared. And the company's revenue due to military orders increased significantly (up to $9,936,558). In 1943, an improved walkie-talkie was released. It was even more compact and perfect. And also gave a name to a whole class of devices, like copiers in Russia (by the name of Xerox products). Today, "walkie-talkie" is commonly referred to as all pocket radios. With the end of the war, Paul Galvin (and therefore the company in general) began to look for new markets. And already in 1947, the company's first television set, Golden View, was developed. As in the case of radio, the price dumping policy ($179.95 versus $300 for competitors) affected the success of TVs. Paul Galvin was not afraid to produce products with a minimum margin. It is thanks to the cheapness that televisions have become a mass product. This provided the company with market share and boosted sales. Also in 1947, the original name of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation changed to the current Motorola Inc. In the early 50s, the company began to develop the production of semiconductors. It will be one of the components of Motorola's future success. Already in 1956, the company introduced a transistor radio. And also - the world's first pager. V subsequent years Motorola developed in several directions at once. Radio receivers were improved, the production of automobile synchronous generators began. With the direct participation of the company appeared CRT for color TVs. The first transistorized color televisions were produced. Motorola products have been widely used in NASA space programs. Including lunar expeditions. In 1974, Motorola released its first microprocessor, the 6800. Later, the company became one of the prominent players in the processor market. But still, the most important event in the history of the company was the emergence and further development cell phones and mobile communications in general. The first mobile phone call was made on April 3, 1973 by Motorola engineer Martin Cooper. Although it all started much earlier. You can get acquainted with the history of the emergence of mobile communications in the relevant material. Here it is worth dwelling on the contribution of Motorola. Prior to the appearance of the brainchild of Motorola, only car radio telephones (AT & T company) were offered to customers. The devices weighed more than 10 kg and were installed in the trunk of a car. Therefore, the first cell phone, Motorola DynaTAC (Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage), which weighed just over 1 kg, was a revolution. It was one of the company's most expensive projects. It cost $100 million and 10 years of research. Development was carried out in parallel with competitors from AT&T Bell Laboratories. No wonder Martin Cooper made the first call to Joel Engel of AT&T.

Over the next 10 years, Motorola perfected mobile devices. As a result, the first commercial cell phone DynaTAC 8000X released in 1983 turned out to be twice as light and much more compact. The further development of mobile phones was largely determined by the innovations of Motorola. So, in 1989, the first phone with a flip (hinged cover) was released - Motorola MicroTAC. In 1996, the world's first clamshell phone appeared - Motorola StarTAC. In 1998, the first mobile satellite phone, Motorola Iridium 9500. In 2000, the company introduced the first phone with a built-in FM tuner, the Motorola V2288, and the first phone with GPRS support, the Motorola Timeport 260. The following year, the first phone was released in the rotator form factor. - Motorola V70. Well, the resounding success of the Motorola RAZR V3 released in 2004 has never been repeated by anyone. There were changes within the company as well. In 1998, the company's communications business was reorganized. As a result, mobile phones are now the company's main source of income. The staff of the company was reduced (this year, by the way, the reduction process was resumed), some divisions were separated into separate companies. For example, the release of processors for mobile devices is now handled by Freescale. However, today Motorola produces a wide range of products beyond mobile phones. These are radio communications (for example, professional radio stations of the GP series - GP140/320/340/380-640/680/1280), wireless broadband solutions (Motorola Canopy Advantage data platform), including those based on WiMAX (representatives of the product family MOTOwi4 - CPEo 200/400, CPEi 200/300/400/600 series), telecommunications equipment, etc. Unfortunately, in the mobile device sector in Lately Motorola is not in the most rosy situation. Following the release of the Motorola RAZR V3, the company seemed to have fallen out of technological process for a couple of years. Representatives of the new RAZR, SLVR, PEBL, RIZR, KRZR lines were interesting, but secondary to the RAZR V3 and, in general, to the "triplet" platform, which appeared back in 2003. In addition, novelties were constantly delayed, renamed, repositioned or canceled altogether. This allowed other companies to play ahead of the curve. The situation last year is indicative, when Samsung has become a leader among thin solutions. The implementation of technological innovations (support for EDGE, 3G, hardware video accelerators NVidia GoForce, etc.) was delayed or occurred in single models. And, thus, did not affect the overall concept of the devices. As a result, with rare exceptions, Motorola's products have come to be seen as fashion gimmicks. As a rule, devices from Nokia and Sony Ericsson outperformed them in terms of functionality. The situation began to change only this year. Interesting solutions appeared or were finalized, a reorganization began within the company, in addition, the company made high-profile acquisitions. But more on that in the final part of the article. And now it is worth moving on to the consideration of the company's iconic products.

The site browser studied the history of Motorola, which started as a leader in the field of electronics and telecommunications, introduced many innovations, but due to management miscalculations, lost its position and was divided into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility.

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Motorola has practically ceased its independent existence: one part of it is now part of Lenovo, and the other, specializing in telecommunications, is actively selling off its divisions. Nevertheless, the influence of Motorola on the development of the industry is difficult to overestimate. The company has introduced a lot of innovations, from car radios to mobile communications. Motorola owes much of its initial success to its founder and longtime CEO, Paul Galvin.

The Early Years of Paul Galvin. Creation of Galvin Manufacturing

The future founder of the company was born in 1895 in Harvard. Sex since childhood different ways tried to earn money, including selling sandwiches and ice cream. There is information that Galvin did it at the station and without an appropriate license, so he had to hide from the authorized bodies. True, in the end, the stationmaster put up with the enterprising boy, and Paul continued to do his business.

In 1914, Galvin served in the army as an artilleryman. There is information that he participated in the First World War as part of the US forces. After returning, Galvin graduated from the Illinois School of Technology, and during his studies he was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. According to one version, training preceded military service.

In 1920, Paul found work at a Chicago battery factory. Most researchers believe that Paul was not interested in working for hire - he was more attracted to the idea of ​​​​creating own business. A year later, together with a school friend, he created a company that produces batteries and batteries. The firm lasted only two years, after which it was closed by the government due to non-payment of taxes on a large amount.

After the first failure, Galvin did not give up and three years later, with the same friend, he began to build the same business. The company closed this time too: it simply could not withstand competition in the emerging electricity market. The business did not last more than two years.

But this did not stop Galvin: he went to an auction where the property of his company was sold, and bought equipment for the production of network power supplies for $ 750. In addition, Paul still had the development of his friend - a rectifier that allows the radio to work from the mains.

Paul Galvin (left) and Joseph Galvin

Again, a massive reorganization began. In 2007, a foreman became a shareholder hostile takeovers Carl Icahn. He fought a corporate war with Zander, which he could not win and resigned in 2008. In parallel, Icahn promoted the idea of ​​splitting the company and selling the money-losing mobile division.

The company continued to crumble, confirming the existence of a crisis of ideas along the way. It released a few more phones that aroused some interest among the audience, but this did not help: in 2008, the company's losses amounted to a record $4.16 billion. A year later, this figure decreased to $51 million, largely due to other divisions of the company.

After lengthy disputes in 2011, the company was split. Motorola Mobility was acquired by Google for $12.5 billion and three years later bought by Lenovo for $2.9 billion. The second part - Motorola Solutions - is engaged in telecommunications and from time to time sells the divisions to other companies. In 2015, its profit amounted to $610 million, which is two times less than in 2014.

Thus ended the history of Motorola. The company, which gave the world more than one invention, lost the competition due to a lack of understanding of the market and the changing needs of the audience. Even the success of the RAZR v3 became a temporary phenomenon, from which the management tried to squeeze the maximum. As a result, Motorola was squeezed out of the market by competitors, among whom was a recent ally - Apple. Left from the company Motorola Solutions is trying to return to its former glory, but without much success.

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