HTC has obviously had a big year, and as a brand, gained in recognition in leaps and bounds in the European, Asia Pacific and of Course the US markets over 2010. First quarter 2011 has also thrown up a slew of new devices that are incredibly exciting, bringing 4G/LTE devices, and the Flyer, HTC’s first venture into the Tablet realm, which may seem to be the flavour of the moment, but the form factor is here to stay. The smartphone though is HTC’s bread and butter, Windows Mobile through Android and now Windows Phone 7, it is less of a shock to see someone else with a HTC device today.
Dubai: Taiwanese mobile handset vendor HTC is pinning its hopes on new models — to be launched in the second quarter — to double its market share in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region this year from around 10 per cent last year, Florian Seiche, President of HTC EMEA, said
Some of the stats seem a bit overwhelming, when you look at them,
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), smartphone vendors will ship more than 450 million units in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.
The way that’s put, the smart phone industry is just starting to bloom, predicted to grow by 49% this year, more and more people will be carrying a feature filled mobile computing solution in their pocket or purse. Of course these predictions are something HTC hope to feature prominently in fulfilling, and while they have gained huge market share with their Android devices, it seems by their figures that they are the largest provider of Windows Phone 7 devices.
Last year more than 80 per cent of the Windows 7 sales were from HTC
Of course with five out of ten devices, HTC would obviously pull high numbers in that market, with Nokia wading into the platform though, will those numbers be as high this time next year? Undoubtedly Nokia is the biggest handset manufacturer in the world, and will be able to put that might behind, what I think will be a more budget conscious, consumer wallet friendly, mass produced Windows Phone devices. HTC must realise that too, but it seems they welcome the challenge. Seiche said
Nokia’s recent announcement to move to Windows Phone will have a significant impact on the industry. “This does not mean that we will abandon the Windows platform. We are the first company to launch a range of Windows models last year and this year also we will be launching new models based on Windows Phone 7 operating system. Last year more than 80 per cent of the Windows Phone 7 sales were from HTC. We are progressing down a path as an industry when people will use a variety of wireless devices ideal for all their different needs
When the initial update saga dies down and Microsoft start pumping out new builds of Windows Phone, we can expect HTC to pick up and include supposed new features like NFC, that is supposed to be included in the “Mango” update scheduled for later this year. If you are anything like me, or just a little bit obsessed, this is just enough from HTC to keep me interested [read champing at the bit] in what they will do with their second generation Windows Phone devices!
Via GulfNews and WMPoweruser
