Motorola’s Texas factory, a key ingredient in the company’s customizable Moto Maker program for its flagship smartphone, is shutting down at the end of the year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company isn’t selling enough smartphones to keep the factory going.
Motorola was sold by Google to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, a far cry from the $12.5 billion it paid for the company in 2011. Google did keep many of the interesting components, however, including more than 17,000 patents, as well as Motorola’s R&D team, now part of Google’s Advanced Technology & Projects (ATAP) division.
Under Google’s ownership, Motorola underwent a sort of reinvention of itself, complete with a trio of new phones at different price points, a colorful and customizable flagship device, and equally colorful accessories.
The Moto X became the popular definition of a “smart” phone, thanks to its always-on, motion sensitive software, and unique features (like its Active Display technology). The Moto G was its lower-end variant, but redefined what a cheap smartphone could be, thanks to its price and performance.