The trials and tribulations of Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer, HTC, are well documented by the media, and after their latest poor financial performance – yet another quarter of losses and predictions for another to follow – it looks like HTC has hit rock bottom: HTC is in trouble. As a result, HTC Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang has told reporters that jobs will be cut: “The cuts will be across the board. They will be significant,” Chang said.
That’s not the only thing that will be cut; HTC is said to cut its product line-up down to a bare minimum, saying it will focus on high-end devices. While that’s what I thought they said 6 months ago, HTC says they have great market share in places like India, where they command a 20% share in the $250-$400 USD segment. Analysts aren’t buying it (and frankly neither are we) – analysts expect HTC to struggle for at least the next four quarters. “We believe HTC will keep losing share in the smartphone market and will keep losing money,” says Calvin Huang, analyst at SinoPac Securities. it really can’t be helped by the perception that HTC has become unoriginal and confused in the market – this year’s HTC One M9 is pretty much the embodiment of that. We’ll see what the next year or so has in store for the “quietly brilliant” manufacturer.
What do you think about HTC’s situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reuters via Droid-life
