5 Companies Google Should Buy Next
Google shocked just about everyone in the Tech world last week when it announced the purchase of Nest, the home automation company behind the popular thermostat of the same name. Google is no rookie to buying companies, having gobbled up Bump, Bitspin, Boston Dynamics and 18 others in 2013 alone.
Yet no one really saw the acquisition of Nest coming. And with Larry Page’s peculiar comments at I/O last year wishing he had an island free from regulation, no one really has any idea what Google will do next.
As much as we love to see smaller companies and startups flourish without giving in to the big money of a company like Google, here are a few ideas about who Google should most definitely have their eye on next:
1. Roku
One of the most disappointing releases Google made in recent years came in the form of the Nexus Q. The Q was Google’s attempt at a set-top box, or in this case a set-top sphere, and it was a paltry attempt at best. Billed as a “social-media streamer” the Q boasted an interesting, if somewhat puzzling design, decent power—but not much else. It lacked necessary apps for any media-streamer like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video and was widely overpriced. Unsurprisingly, the streamer did not last very long and is no longer offered on the Google Play store.
Enter Roku. The Saratoga based company makes a popular line of streaming devices that are fast, user friendly and have a huge amount of content available. They’re also cheap. The priciest Roku comes in at $99, the same price as the Apple TV, and the cheapest options will pull just $50 from your pocket. If Google were to pick up Roku, they’d be adding an already popular streaming box to their lineup that could be rebranded as a Nexus device and pitted against the Apple TV.
2. Asus
Google and Asus go way back. At least in the way time works in the tech world. The two have had a relationship for years now, with Asus building both iterations of the Nexus 7 as well as an upcoming line of Chromebooks. Despite the fact that the PC market is in decline, Chromebooks continually sell well and Chrome OS is most definitely on the up and up. Add the recent news of dual OS PCs running both Windows and Android on the horizon and the time could be perfect for Google to dip further into the personal computer market in the same way the did when they bought Motorola back in 2012. What better way to enter than by gobbling up a respected hardware builder?
3. Ouya