HTC's road map leads to a detour, Q1 shipments will be less than expected

HTC's road map has encountered a detour, although this is one of those stories that you might want to read with a box of salt nearby. According to "industry sources," HTC has decided to cut back on its Q1 shipments because of the recent launch of the Apple iPhone 5 and recently declining smartphone prices in China. Earlier forecasts that HTC would increase first quarter shipments 20-30% from the fourth quarter have been lowered to an increase of 10-15% sequentially. The Taiwan based manufacturer has reportedly stopped development on some new models for 2013. This happens as those same "industry sources" note that HTC's Windows Phone 8 models have not been selling as well as expected, and that sales of the competition's top models like the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III have both been very good.

In China, HTC has been facing stiff competition from white-box smartphone vendors. As a result, the manufacturer has gone against its desire to stick to high end models by selling units for less than CNY 2,000 ($321 USD). HTC declined to comment on the report.

In the U.S., the HTC DROID DNA, with its 5 inch screen, 1080p resolution and Retina display busting pixel density of 441ppi, has created a lot of attention for the manufacturer. The device was third in our Best Phone of 2012 list, behind the Google Nexus 4 and the Apple iPhone 5.

source: Digitimes

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HTC Butterfly sales going well, HTC had to boost shipments

HTC is one company in desperate need of a comeback. After being the poster child of Android success until the last quarter of 2011, it all started sliding down for the Taiwanese phone maker, and it’s been trying to regain sales and market share ever since.

And now, as it was the first to bring a mass 1080p device to market with the 5-inch HTC Butterfly, the company is enjoying a small comeback. It’s still in the early stages, but the Butterfly seems an important part of what’s happening.

“Based on our initial feedback, the phone has become very popular in Japan and we have been endeavoring to boost our shipments,” HTC said.

The HTC Butterfly will start arriving in larger quantities around the end of the month, according to HTC North Asia president Jack Tong.

Interestingly, HTC is also said to be changing its strategy, letting flagship devices like the Butterfly sell longer on the market. That is in stark contrast with what market leaders like Apple and Samsung are doing. Apple for instance is said to be actually speeding up its product cycle to introducing two products a year instead of just one.

Also, HTC plans to widen its presence in more affordable devices, that should allow it to grow its presence in China.

source: Focus Taiwan via Android Authority

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