A New Market Era For HTC

With a mission to be an original equipment maker oriPhone OS overtook it in 3rd and 4th place,
OEM to mobile device makers running the Windowsrespectively, after Nokia at number one and
Mobile platform, the Taiwan-based High TechBlackberry second.
Computer Corporation or better known in the marketsThat is why its rivals in the smartphone business have
as HTC, has become the world's largestall but given up on the Widows OS. Acer and
Windows-based smartphone maker for both its OEMSamsung will no longer make smartphones running
clients and direct consumers. It is estimated that it hasWindows in favor of Android. So will Motorola who will
a clear 80% commanding hold on all Windows gadgetsthrow its support exclusively to Android. HTC's main
ever built.competitor after Blackberry, Palm has likewise
That includes PDAs, PocketPCs and Mobile phones. Itabandoned Windows in favor of Android
has outstanding OEM deals with brands like Palm,But HTC is not about to abandon Windows. It may
Sharp, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens and HP/Compaq as wellhave launched the world's first Android smartphone
as with mobile telecoms carriers like Vodafone,with the HTC Dream OEM'ed to T-Mobile and
Orange, O2, Cingular, NTT DoCoMo and T-Mobile. Butrebranded as G1 and lately given Google the hardware
the brand also found its way in the hands of the largermuscle to brand its first mobile phone as the Nexus
smartphone consumers with starting in 2004 with theOne, but HTC has been playing it safe releasing
likes of HTC Touch, HTC Magic and HTC Hero just tohandsets in both platforms.
mention a few.Apart from its initial Android offering in the HTC Hero,
A New Ballgame Under Its ControlDream and Magic, it is releasing two new Android
It's no secret that Microsoft's Windows Mobile hashandsets for 2010. It is clearly adopting a more prudent
been instrumental in making HTC what it is today, butproduct mix strategy supporting both and possibly
as they say, life must go on. And in the business world,other smartphone OS like the BREW it uses for its
that means latching your products to a rising star andupcoming HTC Smart. The recent CeBIT and Mobile
letting go one that is fading. In this case, the WindowsWorld Congress unveiled new HTC smartphones in
Mobile is sure to go the way of the dinosaurs soonboth platforms to be released in the first half of 2010.
enough if Gartner Research and the opinions ofYou have Android smartphones like the HTC Desire
pundits are any indication.and HT Legend as well as Windows Mobile
From its peak of 24% market share in 2004 as thesmartphones in the HTC Touch Pro 2 (Tilt2 in AT&T)
third most widely used smartphone OS, Windowsand the HTC Touch Diamond 2.
Mobile has been losing ground year after year endingPundits are quick to point that HTC is taking the safest
up at 14% in 2008 with more than half of thatmarketing route, playing for both a sunset and a
decimated in one year alone. It now commands asunrise OS. 2010 is looking like a new ball game for
mere 7.9% share in 5th place after the Android andHTC.