With two consecutive quarters of losses, it’s a clear signal that HTC is not doing something right – and to turn things around, less expensive models will be pushed through the pipeline to target the mid- to low-end consumers priced between $150-$300 as reported.
“The problem with us last year was we only concentrated on our flagship. We missed a huge chunk of the mid-tier market,” said co-founder and Chairwoman Cher Wang, speaking to Reuters in New York last week alongside Chialin Chang, HTC’s Chief Financial Officer.
This doesn’t mean that HTC will abandon the expensive flagship phones, however, as a new one is reportedly just around the corner.
But the question on people’s mind is whether the presumably untapped market by HTC is the root of the issue. Samsung took on the opportunity earlier on by introducing its “mini” line-up – a less expensive and underpowered version of the flagship phones – as well as other cheaper phones, and Apple attempted to enter that market with the 5C lineup.
By diversifying their products, HTC will certainly appeal to that market, especially if they manage to maintain excellent build qualities for that cost. The biggest hurdle, however, is their marketing. And that is where most of their attention should go.
