Google bites off big piece of HTC in $1.1 bil bet on devices

With this, Google is becoming like Apple - creating both the software and the hardware for vertical manufacturing control

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/21/16343342/google-htc-deal-apple-iphone-war

Google is becoming Apple faster than Apple can become Google

As Apple works to become independent of Google through the provision of its own services like Apple Music and iCloud, Google is moving to become independent of Apple by trying to make a better smartphone. One company is getting serious about services, the other is getting serious about hardware, and the end result will be an escalation and exacerbation of the conflict between them.

If Google were to leave the battle to forever be between the iPhone and Android, between an integrated piece of modern tech and a mere operating system, Apple’s device would always win. Apple’s not-so-secret advantage is in having tight control over every aspect of the iPhone user experience. Google can’t be out there filing down the sharp edges of the USB-C port on its hardware partners’ devices. But it can design its own, premium-tier device that can go right up against the iPhone. The HTC deal today makes sure of that.