Struggling smartphone maker HTC Corporation, which was counting on its HTC One device to help them make a comeback in the smartphone market, has now delayed the launch of the flagship phone.
According a report in the Wall Street Journal HTC Corp is pushing back the rollout of its new flagship smartphone due in part to some component shortages. (Subscription access only. To read report click here.)
The HTC One was expected to hit the Indian markets by April, but the phone could now get delayed further thanks to supplier issues.
The report quotes an HTC executive as saying that the company has a had a problem managing its component suppliers as HTC changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year's unexpected slump in shipments. The executive added that HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer.
Taiwanese pop music group Mayday display smartphone maker HTC's latest smartphone 'HTC One' during a press conference in Taipei on March 7, 2013.
HTC launched its much-awaited device, codenamed M7, and called the HTC One in New York, yesterday. The smartphone has been widely called HTC's last shot at trying to regain it lost glory in the smartphone market. HTC was not in the list of top five smartphone device manufacturers for 2012 in the latest IDC report.
Key features of the device are as follows:
• It has a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB of RAM.
• 32 to 64GB of storage space.
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, LTE and a 2300mAh battery. It will support LTE as well.
New York: HTC Corp, the struggling Taiwanese maker of smartphones, is taking a page from longtime partner Microsoft Corp. as it launches a new phone under the One brand.
The phone runs Google Inc's Android software, but HTC is grafting its own home screen on the phone, one that's similar to that of Microsoft's Windows Phone software.
HTC Corp's BlinkFeed interface consists of large tiles that update automatically with information and photos from news sites and social networks.
The phone will go on sale in late March. HTC says US partners will include AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, but specific availability dates and prices were not announced.
HTC's big launch for its next flagship device is due on 19 February but there have already been numerous leaks around the device, the M7.
The latest comes from Evleaks on Twitter which shows an official photo of the smartphone. The leak also states the device will be called HTC One.
You can check out the official tweet below. Evleaks has in the past leaked images of the Nokia Lumia 920 and LG Nexus 4.
HTC One, 2013 twitter.com/evleaks/status...
- @evleaks (@evleaks) February 11, 2013
The evleaks tweet account also hints at other two devices. The HTC G2 (which is a low end phone) and the M4 (which is a high-end dual-core smartphone).
According to UnWiredView the M4 will come with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, running Android 4.2 Jellybean, a 4.3-inch screen,2 GB RAM and 16 GB memory space.
As far as the G2 is concerned, the report says that it will have a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 512MB RAM, and 4GB memory space, a five-megapixel camera, and will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
HTC's next big device, the M7, is due to be launched on 19 February in London and New York. HTC's London event will start at three in the afternoon (approximately 8.30 by India time) while the New York event begins at 10am EST which is 9 pm for India.
Ahead of the launch HTC has put up a teaser poster which is bizzare to say the least.Check out the original poster from the German forum which put it up first. It shows a heart attached to motherboard circuit with the tag line reading ALIVE SOON. For HTC, the M7 carries the burden of expectations. The Taiwanese firm is no longer in the top list of smartphone retailers across world, and they are hoping that this phone will help them get back there.
