Google Inc's purchase of Motorola Mobility marks the end of its 81-year story - including its invention of the cellphone in the 1970s, its spectacular success with the Razr phone a few years ago, and then its slide into crisis and now its takeover.
- 1928: Galvin family establishes Galvin Manufacturing. Its first product was a power converter.
- 1930: Changes name to Motorola. Three generations of Galvins lead Motorola until Christopher Galvin's 2004 ouster.
- 1943: First public offering of Motorola stock at $8.50/share.
- 1973: Motorola's Martin Cooper makes the first mobile phone call on a prototype of DynaTAC.
- 1984: DynaTAC becomes commercially available. It is later known as the "brick" when surpassed by lighter, smaller phones.
- 1989: Launches MicroTAC, its first flip-phone, which has a plastic cover that flips open to reveal its keypad.
- 1994: Motorola dominates global cell market with a 32.5 per cent share, versus Nokia's 21 per cent, according to Gartner.
- Mid-1990s: The first digital wireless networks are built in Europe, but Motorola is slow to discard analog for digital.
- 1996: Launches StarTAC, the first of its signature clamshell phone range with a lid that hinges open.
- 2000: Motorola's market share is 13 per cent vs Nokia's 31 per cent, and it hovers in the mid-teen range for years.
- 2004: Late in the year Motorola launches Razr, an ultra-thin phone that becomes a design icon.
- 2006: In July, Motorola says 50 million Razr phones already sold. CEO Ed Zander promises 500 million. But market gets saturated with Razrs and by year-end it is being given away for free. Motorola market share peaks around 23 per cent.
- 2007: Activist investor Carl Icahn starts pushing Motorola to split up, buy back shares and fire its CEO. Apple Inc sells first iPhone. Motorola ends year with 9 percent share.
- January 2008: Greg Brown replaces Zander as CEO. Motorola posts a loss for three out of four quarters of that year.
- October 2008: New Co-CEO Sanjay Jha reveals plan to bet future entirely on Google's Android platform. Cuts thousands of jobs. Motorola ends year with less than 7 per cent share.
- November 2009: Motorola unveils first Android phone with Verizon Wireless kick-starting the successful Droid brand.
- January 2011: Motorola Inc is split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility. Announces plan to launch first tablet based on Android to compete with Apple's iPad
- July 21 2011: Icahn urges Motorola: generate more value from thousands of patents; maybe spin off patents from handsets.
- July 28 2011: Motorola delays new products until September. Ends second quarter with a 2.9 per cent market share.
- Aug 15 2011: Google announces deal to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.
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