Taiwan\\\'s HTC hopes much-loved M8 will revive fortunes
Monday, 9 June 2014
TAIPEI, June 8 (AFP): Once a star of the intensely competitive smartphone sector, Taiwan's HTC has seen its fortunes collapse in recent years-but the success of its latest model provides a glimmer of hope.
The company started out as a contract smartphone manufacturer for major foreign players including Microsoft and only began developing its own brand of handsets in 2006.
It quickly built up a loyal following as the first to use Google's Android operating system-now the most popular OS for mobile devices and adopted by global smartphone leader Samsung.
But from stellar performances in 2011, HTC has nosedived as Samsung, Apple and strong Chinese brands like Lenovo and Huawei surge ahead.
In the first quarter of this year, it posted a net loss of Tw$1.88 billion (US$62.3 million) while sales hit a five-year low of Tw$33.1 billion.
Now, though, there's a much-needed buzz around the brand once more, following the launch of the HTC One M8 handset in March.
"It's a mix of being genuinely functional, but also a real statement device," said Nic Healey of leading tech review site CNET.
"Something like the M8 is a real stand-out on the shelf."