There’s been a lot of speculation lately over Apple’s legal actions against Samsung for “blatantly copying” their iPad and iPhone’s hardware and software. While it’s obvious that Samsung’s line of phones and tablets draws inspiration from Apple, the mobile giant has countered that everyone is copying Apple’s tech designs in the current mobile market. Yet there’s a less obvious manner in which many companies are copying Apple these days, and it is demonstrated by a recent $12.5 billion purchase of Google’s.

On Monday Google spent the above sum to purchase Motorola Mobility, which positions their presence within the Mobile market suspiciously similar to Apple’s standing. Prior to this purchase Google sat within the mobile market solely as a provider of software. Their Android application ran on a wide range of other manufacturer’s phones and provided the clearest second-place alternative to Apple’s mobile OS on the market. With the purchase of Motorola, Google has created a vertical business structure and is now positioned to produce proprietary hardware designed from the ground up to host their software with a business structure which could look exactly like Apple’s.

Experts are divided on whether this is Google’s true aim with their recent purchase or not. Google may be purchasing Motorola simply to acquire their patents. Google may also remain skittish about producing their own hardware as doing so will essentially cut their ties with the wealth of other mobile device manufacturers who currently host their software. It remains to see whether Google is truly trying to organize vertically or if they are simply solidifying their software-licensing kingdom with this move.

True vertical integration on par with Apple’s is also a feat which many have tried after the fact and none have succeeded at. Experts speculate the reason Apple has been so successful joining their OS with their hardware is the fact the two were created specifically for each other. No matter how many sweeping updates Google provides for Android, and no matter how intelligently they begin to design their own hardware, these new devices will be playing catch-up for years to come. Android, as a platform, was produced to be a platform which could work on any hardware. Apple’s iOS was not, it was designed in conjunction with Apple’s hardware. Unless Google is looking to start from scratch and design an alternative to Android simultaneously with new hardware, any vertical integration plans they hold will fall apart.

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