FollowThe HTC One is the Taiwanese company’s chance to get back among the smartphone elite where the brand once was before slipping in recent years. The once king of Android’s has done the first part by delivering a stunning new handset in the HTC One, a device that is winning rave reviews (check out our hands on review) and is being touted as the current best Android smartphone. Of course Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S4 will have something to say about that, but the point is that HTC has delivered a worthy smartphone choice.
However, HTC could fail in the market because it is struggling with production and supply, giving the HTC One a strained start to its life. What good is an amazing phone if it does not arrive? HTC is facing this very question and with so many top choices being released then the HTC One could get lost in a sea of other smartphones if the company does not sort out its current problem.
The first problem to befall the HTC One was a lack of premium components with the result being HTC only able to produce 20% of what it had originally hoped. Of course that presents many problems, and it means the company will definitely not sell as many units as it had hoped simply because it has not built them.
A new problem arriving (which could be related to the production issue) is a lack of availability in countries where the HTC One is due to be released. It is emerging that HTC has delayed the handset in several countries with Singapore and China being notable examples of a now moved release date. HTC had originally planned to launch in the two mentioned nations on March 15th, but has now moved the release date back to April. There is no official update on the release date of HTC One until now but it is confirmed that it won’t be before April.
It looks as though the company is saving its limited production run for larger markets such as Europe and the United States, but the sad truth is that HTC is shooting itself in the foot. If the HTC One was to fail it would be a shame because it is a stunning handset.
