Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
Summary: The question is whether HTC can continue to work the design and carrier support angle vs. rivals. Keep in mind that Apple isn't the only concern for HTC.
HTC has been riding Long-Term Evolution and 4G devices, but the secret sauce may be its plan to do the opposite of Apple.
That's the gist of a Bloomberg story on HTC. The money paragraph:
HTC has become the top seller of smartphones in the U.S. with a strategy that’s precisely the opposite of Apple's. Where Apple is secretive, HTC is open. Where Apple is exclusive, HTC works with all carriers. Where Apple is proprietary, HTC is collaborative. Where Apple customizes for no one, HTC customizes for everyone. It’s the anti-Apple and, so far, it has worked.
Will HTC's approach work going forward? The Bloomberg story raises the question about HTC's success going forward. I also noted that HTC is about to face headwinds. Also: HTC: Challenges going into 2012 mount as Q4 unit outlook weakens
In the end, the question is whether HTC can continue to work the design and carrier support angle vs. rivals. Keep in mind that Apple isn't the only concern for HTC. Samsung and Motorola Mobility are also vying for Android share against HTC.
Here are the two big concerns to ponder:
- HTC is riding the LTE wave, but so is Samsung and Motorola. See James Kendrick's take on Motorola's Droid Razr.
- Apple is already dinging HTC's fourth quarter. HTC CFO Winston Yung said on the company's earnings call that he's confident about the lineup, but iPhone is an issue. Yung said:
We are having a very special fourth quarter here. The products launched in fourth quarter is -- number of products is unprecedented. Especially we have for the first time, I think the iPhone launching in the fourth quarter. And customers have been waiting for 16 months for the iPhone. There is a lot of pent-up demand and for this and other reasons the iPhone from what we have read is receiving very good demand at the beginning of its launch.
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Talkback
I think HTC is wise to be the Anti Apple.
Pagan jim
Agreed.
There are two well run handset manufactures right now. HTC and Apple. ZTE and Huawei might also enter that list. Samsung, while doing OK, has other struggles that weaken its long term outlook IMO.
But HTC and Apple both have a clear direction and well executed plans. The best part is they are very different companies.
Clearly though, HTC isn't as well run as Apple
After all, HTC makes a tiny fraction of the profits that Apple does. Clearly then, Apple's approach is the better one.
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
Not in my experience
I have the Evo Shift and it takes long enough to return from any app (except the actual phone) to the home screen that I could cold boot my original iPhone before being able to switch functions!
This phone is less than a year on the market. The performance lag is simply awful, the updates have been almost non-existent (I know - blame the carrier but that is exactly the problem), switching calls never works as expected (hangs up when it shouldn't and doesn't hang up when it should), the list goes on and on. ATT pushed me away from the iPhone, but I will be going back as soon as I am eligible for a hardware upgrade through Sprint (12/12 and it's sad that I already know that).
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
Well don't worry I know plenty of iPhone users that report the same issues of slowness and such as you mention with the Evo. My girlfriend among them, and her iphone started going south when she updated it and couldn't go back to the previous version so she scrapped it and got a samsung and has loved it. I also know 2 people that have the new 4S and one burnt up when it overheated and the other stopped reading the SIM card(2 weeks old at best), so thats 2 for 2 and I don't think I would recommend that to anyone. Every phone will have some lemons and some failures and don't think Apple is immune to those things.
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
Why be afraid?
Are you expecting world domination with phone sales?
Shows you actually think in the way you accuse Apple of thinking.
Sorry but Droid users and android phone companies will not be king of the world. It's just a phone, get over it.
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
http://go.uc7758.com/gS
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
In the UK, Apple gave O2 an exclusive deal on a shorter term than the AT&T one, then quickly went with other networks, as long as they understood and accepted that Apple would provide the software experience and issue updates. I believe that this was/is more important to Apple than the profit margin, which took a back seat to usability and design.
I once owned a network-branded phone made by HTC and even with years of tech experience (including hacking the early "smartphones"), I was confused with all the different model designations and which firmware/OS belonged to each different handset (see http://www.pdamods.com/categories.asp?cat=254). Needless to say, I sold the HTC handset and went back to my Nokia -- the Nokia Communicator 9500 was the best phone in its time, and I still use it from time to time.
HTC will make a phone for anyone, but Apple will only make a phone for YOU.
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
One of the biggest annoyances with phone sbefore the iPhone was the branding of the handset software.
When the carrier makes the most often used button double as a link to their WAP site it is somewhat nasty.
The net result was that if you hung up the call but were beaten to it by the other party then you incurred a data charge and the delay while the phone fired up the WAP browser and the data connection and tried to load the page.
When there is a good business in removing the carrier customisation from phones then there is clearly something wrong with the way the industry did business.
When users are incurring data charges to accidentally access a data service that was close to useless anyway then the industry was clearly not considering the consumer.
So yes, Apple had to insist that the phone was not customised - for the sake of the consumer.
I for one am most grateful to be given that freedom by Apple.
Or is Apple Anti-Android?
Solid vs. Cheap
Consistent vs. Developer's whim
High-end vs. Commodity
Good form factor vs. big screen
Usability vs. Geekability
Proven components with careful engineering vs. Bleeding edge new components rushed to market
My, that was so fun I +1 myself!
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
Siri, while not perfect does work very well.
Batterygate, just overblown anti Apple talk with the update to fix the minor issue already out.
Antennagate, the original overblown tapointg pont that affected a very small percentage of user.
RE: Can HTC's anti-Apple shtick stick?
In my family we have both. I have 3gs as do 2 of my children. My daughter has a 4. My husband [who is not a computer geek at all!] has an HTC Inspire. All are update-able with software. We, all have choices if we want to invoke them. All the updates have +/-. My husbands phone is fast and reliable with decent battery life for a smart phone [1-3 days depending on wifi reliability] has more memory and better screen. My phone has been pretty dependable - I have no complaints.
I HATE having to use itunes - I listen to a lot of audio books and the set up through itunes if you don't buy from them just sucks. On my husbands phone I just drag and drop.
I don't really understand the animosity between iphone users and others. They are devices - tools to use. Do some work better than others, yes. Do some give you more choices, yes. Competition is needed to advance. If Apple did not have competition, we would not have advanced to the new level. Yes there are many producers of "other" products and they compete not only against Apple, but also between themselves. This does make it harder for them. And leads to other advances and possibilities.
I have not decided what to upgrade to, but I certainly glad that I have options. No communist mentality of having to use and do and like "what master tells us to."
Lots of readers deriving self worth from their phone