HTC’s latest earning reports have not been great. Fierce competition from Apple and Samsung have pushed HTC to the back of the pack, reducing the company’s profit margins and catastrophically reducing sales of HTC handsets. We’ve known what the financial impact has been on HTC, but new numbers from IDC visually depict HTC’s dire situation.
According to IDC, HTC was still ranked the number five global smartphone manufacturer, but its total market share dropped from 8.9% in Q1 of 2011 to 4.8% in Q1 of this year. Over that time frame, HTC’s market share increased to an all-time high of 10.7% in Q2 of 2011 and HTC even managed to surpass RIM and before the number four global smartphone maker in Q3 before its precipitous drop the following quarter.
No one is denying that HTC struggled in the past 6 months, but Nokia and RIM have had a much harder time. In the past 12 months, Nokia’s global market share decreased from 23.8% to 8.2% and while RIM dropped from 13.6% to 6.7% in the same time period.
The gap between HTC and the top smartphone makers may be wider than ever, but HTC’s projected 55% revenue growth for Q2 of 2012 may be the first step back to recovery. How long do you think it will take HTC to regain its steps and pose a serious threat to Samsung and Apple?
[iframe]<div style=”position:relative”><link type=”text/css” rel=”stylesheet” href=”http://accounts.icharts.net/widget/assets/ichartwidget.css”></link ><iframe src=”http://accounts.icharts.net/icharts/embed/M3vSzS5H” height=”474″ width=”480″ frameborder=”0″></iframe></div>[/iframe]Source: DailyTech
Be fair to say that CONSUMERS are the key to success? How to find out how much impact on your business 101, keep them happy or they will buy somewhere else. Hopefully the lesson is taken on-board, and worthwhile changes are made with the right amount of customer care, and action, as well as actually listening to the people that buy your products.
I agree, but I fail to see how HTC is not listening to its customers. all of HTC’s new phones are based on consumer research, focus groups and feedback from current handset owners. Yes, some are unhappy that new devices don’t have external storage or replaceable batteries, but the overwhelming majority of users never use more than the storage that’s included with their handset and I can’t remember the last time I saw an average consumer with an extended battery.
Lest we forget past experiences, updates, previous owners posting their opinions (whether valid, or not) which is in the public domain, accessible to anyone researching before (not) buying.
Makes sense that once bitten, there’s the issue with twice shy.
Forget your core, old device, market, forget the new ones. This would weigh extremely heavy on the minds trolling the net before deciding on the next phone.
Credit where it’s due with your replies and constant updates. An oasis in the dessert of mis-information.
Chinese companies like Huwei, ZTE and some others have pretty good low cost smartphones that are low cost but in spec point of view are as good as HTC’s.
HTC does not make any of key hardware components and OS (and any great software or user interface like Siri), while Huwei has its own Quad-core Application Processor and other Chinese companies have great price competitiveness. Adding this, HTC does not have any better brand value comparing RIM, Motorola and Nokia.
With what, can HTC compete against such fierce Chinese companies?
The same OS, The same SW, The same HW (some others have better and cheap AP and screen), High Cost than Chinese companies’, Smaller production number of units, and So so brand value. Simply, No differentiation and No high Valuation.
I would presume that HTC might soon have much harder time than what RIM has now. In the worst case, it has to live as a private labeled smartphone manufacturers for large phone companies as what it had done before.