Struggling HTC promises better smartphones
HTC, an early leader of the smartphone boom, has promised a range of improved new models to take on a hyper-competitive field currently led Samsung and Apple.
3:44PM GMT 28 Nov 2011
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The firm became a force in the industry by releasing a series of successful handsets for Google’s Android operating system.
In the last year however, the Taiwanese firm has come under pressure from rivals, who have introduced appealing new models more frequently. HTC’s latest devices, the Sensation XE and XL, are tweaked versions of relatively old designs, and appear to be struggling against Samsung’s Galaxy SII and Galaxy Nexus.
"Its industrial design hasn't changed for almost two years. Unless it launches a really different phone, it's hard to sell the product at a premium price," said Roxy Wong, analyst at Mirae Asset Management in Hong Kong.
HTC has recently been named in reports as the manufacturer of Facebook’s forthcoming smartphone, codenamed “Buffy”, but the device is said to be at least 12 months away from launch.
Doubts over HTC’s strategy combined with a cut in its revenue forecast to cause a seven per cent tumble in its share price on Thursday. But today its finance chief Winston Yung dismissed the concerns.
