Don't forget MotoMobile also got Moto's cable box business. Think of every new Comcast, TWC, etc. subscriber suddenly having a Google TV box by default; which is fully integrated with their cable system. Apple and Roku's boxes wouldn't stand a chance.
I'm not so sure about that. AppleTV and Roku boxes don't rely on a ridiculously expensive monthly subscriptions to be useful. The only damage to sales would be the people who would have bought an AppleTV/Roku box and retain their cable subscription.
A year's subscription to Netflix and a Roku or AppleTV are each just a little more expensive than a month of cable subscription, saving you a little less than 10 months of cable subscription fees. Google would have to add around $700/year worth of value to all these set top boxes to compete with that (not to mention having to play nice with the various cable companies and such).
Could this be a genius move?
I don't know how good MM's patent portfolio is but not only they get lots of ammo for the patent war, they also get their own phone manufacturer.
And MM seems to in more than just phones, could they lead the way for the future of Android, namely Android@Home and Android Open Accessory?