Is Google Planning to Sell Motorola's Set-Top Box Division?

When you think breaking tech news, you probably don’t think about the New York Post, but the news outlet is reporting that Google plans to drop the set-top box division of Motorola after the completion of the Motorola Mobility acquisition. But is it true? And if it is, what does it say about Google’s future plans?

What did Google say about this? According to the Post, nothing. Google doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation. But all that rumor and gossip has fueled some serious speculation engines.

So what’s the motivation behind Google’s alleged sale of the set-top box division? The Post raises a stellar point — there are hesitant cable operators putting off purchasing new boxes from Motorola until the Google acquisition is fully completed. There’s also a nod to the Internet-led software-focused world, where the cloud will supplant what is traditionally leveraged by a cable box. If you’re envisioning a future with AppleTV-sized set top boxes, you’d be right on the money.

Here’s a little bit of my technical perspective: Motorola’s boxes aren’t up to snuff for some high-tech Google TV goodness (I would know, they’re in my home as part of my Verizon FiOS service), so Google probably would rather sell off the assets, keep the patents and start from scratch on building a new and improved home media box (especially since the first round of devices didn’t so do well.)

Between Google Play and Android Jellybean, Google has started to prioritize the maturation of the Android ecosystem. If Google wants to do this across the board, it must include Google TV, which of course, is powered by Android. In that respect, both the technical aspects and the market/consumer aspects of this alleged set-top box sale seems not only likely, but just a matter of time. We’ll continually keep our eyes open as Google rolls fast into 2012.