HTC to renew focus on hardware in 2012, expect less new handsets
For the past year or two, HTC has been pumping out new smartphones almost as quickly as those crazy Duggars have been popping out children. That’s not to say that other Android manufacturers aren’t guilty of the same (looking at you, Moto), but HTC is among the first to finally say enough is enough. The company’s UK CEO Phil Roberson acknowledges a link between the quantity of devices produced and the quality of those devices. The majority of HTC’s releases last year were perfectly acceptable, if not among the best in their class, but when a product lineup becomes so crowded it becomes harder recognize the gems and differentiate them from the pack. So in 2012, look for things to change slightly. Roberson wants to refocus on efforts on producing great hardware rather than simply blanketing the landscape in an endless sea of indistinguishable unibody handsets. We’ve already caught wind of a few devices we expect to see at Mobile World Congress, and we’re sure to get a better idea of how things may play out once that event rolls around. For one, tablets don’t seem to be a priority for 2012, an understandable change in direction after HTC couldn’t seem to crack the market last year. I’ve always been a staunch believer in quality over quantity, and so salute HTC for putting an end to the madness. In the meantime I have a pitch for a new TLC show: 19 Phone and Counting. Chew on that for a minute.
[MobileMagazine via Engadget]