HTC denies it will stop releasing new smartphones
Taiwan's struggling smartphone maker HTC has denied media reports suggesting it will exit the smartphone market by no longer releasing new phones, saying that it will release new flagship models soon, according to a Sina report on Monday, citing news report from local Taiwan media.
HTC will not give up its smartphone business as mobile handsets have become an indispensable part of people's everyday lives, the Taiwan company said in an official statement, responding to a recent news report which suggested that HTC will axe the next generation of new flagship phone launches.
The company further added that it will launch new mobile phones in the end of 2018, as well as in early 2019. Reports suggest that the upcoming new phone next month will be an upgraded version of its HTC U12 Life phones, that were first introduced in August this year.
The Taiwan smartphone brand have had a difficult time in handsets sales as its products are no longer considered a top-tier player among mainstream brands, even inside its own domestic market.
A DigiTimes report last week said Apple was the top smartphone vendor in Taiwan during October, with a strengthening market share of 30.4 percent, followed by Samsung, Asustek, Oppo and Sony.
Huawei, HTC and Xiaomi placed in the sixth to the eighth positions, with markets shares between 4.4 percent and 5.2 percent, said the report.
In China, the largest smartphone market globally, HTC phones are basically out of the eyesights of the consumers within that market.
HTC, which is trying to introduce phones dedicated to games and blockchain as new alternatives, is also pinning big hopes on its virtual reality headsets as its VR business is currently a market leader.
"The key VR technologies related to mobile phones will play a key role in the future development of mobile devices," HTC said in the statement, according to the Sina report.
Related Coverage
HTC Vive aims to woo more businesses to VR via Vive Focus, Wave, Sync
HTC sees the enterprise as a key growth avenue for virtual reality. Enter a new headset, software developer kit and collaboration platform.
HTC U12 Plus announcement and first impressions: No notch, big sound, and elegant HTC design
HTC continues to release Android smartphones and the new U12 Plus skips the notch to focus on what HTC does right. It's a phone that can compete with the best and launches at a price a bit less than the Galaxy S9 Plus.
HTC experiences largest sales drop in two years as flagship U12 Plus gets universally slammed
Terrible sales figures, a production estimate of only 2 million units for 2018, massive layoffs, a flagship phone getting slammed by reviewers for its non-functioning non-buttons, and a high entry price VR experience make it tough to count on this company lasting too much longer.
HTC and China Mobile to push VR adoption with 5G partnership
HTC and China Mobile have announced a 5G Devices Forerunner Initiative, aiming to push 'mass VR adoption' and accelerate production and deployment of 5G devices and infrastructure in China.