In July HTC slips back to pre HTC One financial numbers.

[Nreeldeep]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...0IDQDA&usg=AFQjCNGUQ9R5z52IOfEvaXrPB_BJfQwW5g

 

[BigDinCA]

Maybe they should stop trying to be something they're not and realize they are in a very precarious position. I love HTC products and always have. But they make phones. Not televisions and dishwashers and CPUs for other manufacturers and refrigerators and laptops and cameras and MP3 players. They don't have the luxury that Samsung has, nor the brand recognition across the consumer board. They can't release devices the same way a Samsung or Sony can, in a long and drawn-out fashion. I realize there are intricacies that most of us are not privy to, but what is the real reason the One isn't on Verizon? There is no technical reason, of that I am 1000% sure. Why on earth is there no 64GB option for anyone other than AT&T? STILL! Why does it take nearly 6 months to roll out different (and ridiculously awesome) color choices for this singular flagship device? Okay, maybe you don't want to drop everything all at once, but 6+ months for a memory option and even longer for new colors that you surely knew, from the get go, were going to be produced? These are the little things that people can't stand. Normal people, I mean. While here in the nerd-herd we complain about update schedules and the like, my wife and kids and their friends don't care. They do, however, see that there are colors and higher capacities they can't get for awhile, if ever, because they're stuck on T-Mo or Sprint or Verizon.

Was the AT&T deal for the 64GB model worth more than the unrealized profit from the extra devices they could have sold on T-Mobile, Sprint and Cincy Bell? That's not including the Verizon devices that still haven't been sold yet. Without the Android-staple of the removable storage card lots of folks wanted more capacity but, save for AT&T, couldn't get it with the One. So they waited, or grabbed the GS4. I understand that changing these things doesn't generate an extra $2B in quarterly revenue, but leaving piles of money on the table doesn't help. Even if it's a little pile of money, there are millions of tables out there.

 

[Habiib]

Not sure if I complete (edit: completely) understand your argument regarding memory capacities. The S4 has and will be a top seller, even though it's available in 16GB capacity (with the 32GB version on select carriers). This disparity doesn't appear to negatively impact the perception or adoption rate of the S4.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[BigDinCA]

Not sure if I complete (edit: completely) understand your argument regarding memory capacities.

That's the internal memory they give you. If you want, slap a 64GB card in there, add some more. That isn't an option with the One. If you want more storage, you have to wait until... who knows when. Or you could always just move to AT&T, which isn't really an option, or a desire, for lots of people.

 

[usguyver]

That's the internal memory they give you. If you want, slap a 64GB card in there, add some more. That isn't an option with the One. If you want more storage, you have to wait until... who knows when. Or you could always just move to AT&T, which isn't really an option, or a desire, for lots of people.

I moved to AT&T a d got the one a d I have ever exlalent service.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[madlaw1071]

What's curious is that the company won't release any sales figures for the One. Remember a couple months ago it was leaked that they had sold 5 million units but the company ran away from that rumor at light speed. Since its release I have only seen one One in the wild. I have always suspected that this phone was only a hit in the minds of a few bloggers and tech sites and a flop in the real world. It's really a shame because the device is worthy of so much more. HTC nailed certain aspects like build materials,Zoe's, highlights and smoothness but really screwed the pooch on the outdated version of JB, overall camera quality, blinkfeed and marketing the device to club going 20 somethings.

 

[benhmadison]

I am surprised that they went back in the wrong direction financially. They made the overall best phone of 2013 to date but unfortunately the majority of consumers are idiots who buy whatever their friends have. I think HTC will be fine in the long run. I hope they market the hell out of the ONE mini and Max.

Sent from my Google Play Edition HTC ONE

 

[madlaw1071]

I am surprised that they went back in the wrong direction financially. They made the overall best phone of 2013 to date but unfortunately the majority of consumers are idiots who buy whatever their friends have. I think HTC will be fine in the long run. I hope they market the hell out of the ONE mini and Max.

Sent from my Google Play Edition HTC ONE

Do you have any links to support your claim that "the majority of consumers are idiots who buy whatever their friends have"? Seems to me if the S3 and S4 sucked enough consumers would complain and their friends wouldn't buy them. The One is a nice device but it's a niche device that wasn't geared or marketed to the right slice of the buying public.

 

[Habiib]

What's curious is that the company won't release any sales figures for the One. Remember a couple months ago it was leaked that they had sold 5 million units but the company ran away from that rumor at light speed. Since its release I have only seen one One in the wild. I have always suspected that this phone was only a hit in the minds of a few bloggers and tech sites and a flop in the real world. It's really a shame because the device is worthy of so much more. HTC nailed certain aspects like build materials,Zoe's, highlights and smoothness but really screwed the pooch on the outdated version of JB, overall camera quality, blinkfeed and marketing the device to club going 20 somethings.

How did they screw the pooch by not having the latest point release of JB? What aspect of the Sense+Android experience was compromised as a result. The improvements that were bundled with the 4.2.2 release were focused around the Sense 5 experience. Is it safe to say that the One-mini and Butterfly S aren't considered botched efforts since they are/will be sold with the most current release of Android?

Based on the examples I've seen in the sticky thread, comparison test (i.e., v.s. Nokia lineup), and YouTube uploads, I believe that the overall camera and video quality of the UltraPixel camera is no less inferior than other devices in its respective category of OEM high-end offerings. Taking into account the capture speed, OIS implementation, f/2.0 aperture, wide-angle lens, and larger pixels, it's cumulative attributes are on par with some of the Nokia devices.

As for the sales numbers, HTC had declined to release official sales numbers since the release of the EVO3D. Stateside, on 3 of the 4 major U.S. carriers, the HTC One was third in sales behind the iPhone and S4. This is per an article posted this year (not sure about the integrity of the source). If anyone by chance was expecting the One to be HTC's sole key to strong profits, I'm not sure how that logic works out. Given the maximum daily production capacity and somewhat unstable supply network I'd make an uneducated guess that it would be an unrealistic expectation.

I'm not understanding how the One was marketed towards club-going young adults. All interviews with HTC VP and marketing personnel that I've read indicated no such strategy. However if you have a source of reference that I haven't read our viewed to support the claim of this marketing approach you mentioned, I'd be glad to read it.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[madlaw1071]

How did they screw the pooch by not having the latest point release of JB? What aspect of the Sense+Android experience was compromised as a result. The improvements that were bundled with the 4.2.2 release were focused around the Sense 5 experience. Is it safe to say that the One-mini and Butterfly S aren't considered botched efforts since they are/will be sold with the most current release of Android?

Based on the examples I've seen in the sticky thread, comparison test (i.e., v.s. Nokia lineup), and YouTube uploads, I believe that the overall camera and video quality of the UltraPixel camera is no less inferior than other devices in its respective category of OEM high-end offerings. Taking into account the capture speed, OIS implementation, f/2.0 aperture, wide-angle lens, and larger pixels, it's cumulative attributes are on par with some of the Nokia devices.

As for the sales numbers, HTC had declined to release official sales numbers since the release of the EVO3D. Stateside, on 3 of the 4 major U.S. carriers, the HTC One was third in sales behind the iPhone and S4. This is per an article posted this year (not sure about the integrity of the source). If anyone by chance was expecting the One to be HTC's sole key to strong profits, I'm not sure how that logic works out. Given the maximum daily production capacity and somewhat unstable supply network I'd make an uneducated guess that it would be an unrealistic expectation.

I'm not understanding how the One was marketed towards club-going young adults. All interviews with HTC VP and marketing personnel that I've read indicated no such strategy. However if you have a source of reference that I haven't read our viewed to support the claim of this marketing approach you mentioned, I'd be glad to read it.

Posted via Android Central App

1. A lot of people are hesitant about buying a phone without the latest version of an OS. Combine that with HTC's reputation(some fair/some unfair) for slow updates and their well-publicized financial woes and perhaps some people stayed away from the One.

2. The camera features on the One are STAND OUT, however the actual picture quality lags behind even last year's flagships. In virtually every comparo the One is last or next to last. This is just a fact. Regardless, IMO Zoe's and Highlights make up for the poor pic quality particularly when pics are only used for social networks or messaging. However, word got out quick that the lack of MPs hurt quality.

3. Something tells me if sales numbers were good, we'd know how many they sold. The fact is, no one has any idea. Whereas everyone knows how many iPhones and S4s are sold.

4. Not sure where you live but in the US all the commercials I saw were of young adults in clubs and concerts showcasing the low light capabilities of the camera. this is a limited market niche. Also gimmicks like BoomSound, while nice, have limited appeal to the same group that will use the phone in bars and clubs. Compare the S4 commercials which featured middle aged adults with teen age children and you can see a much broader market appeal than taking a pic in a dance club.

 

[BigDinCA]

Since its release I have only seen one One in the wild. I have always suspected that this phone was only a hit in the minds of a few bloggers and tech sites and a flop in the real world.

I guess everyone's experience is different. I'm in Southern California and it's ridiculous how many I've seen. Mostly silver, but more and more black ones over time. I don't work in the same place, so I travel from San Francisco down into Tijuana and everywhere in between. And I think the device is a hit to more than just a few bloggers and tech sites. Nearly every blogger and every tech site that has talked about/reviewed this thing has lauded this phone. I'm not saying it's the perfect device, nor has anyone else, but it's about as close as anyone has come thus far.

 

[Habiib]

1. A lot of people are hesitant about buying a phone without the latest version of an OS. Combine that with HTC's reputation(some fair/some unfair) for slow updates and their well-publicized financial woes and perhaps some people stayed away from the One.

2. The camera features on the One are STAND OUT, however the actual picture quality lags behind even last year's flagships. In virtually every comparo the One is last or next to last. This is just a fact. Regardless, IMO Zoe's and Highlights make up for the poor pic quality particularly when pics are only used for social networks or messaging. However, word got out quick that the lack of MPs hurt quality.

3. Something tells me if sales numbers were good, we'd know how many they sold. The fact is, no one has any idea. Whereas everyone knows how many iPhones and S4s are sold.

4. Not sure where you live but in the US all the commercials I saw were of young adults in clubs and concerts showcasing the low light capabilities of the camera. this is a limited market niche. Also gimmicks like BoomSound, while nice, have limited appeal to the same group that will use the phone in bars and clubs. Compare the S4 commercials which featured middle aged adults with teen age children and you can see a much broader market appeal than taking a pic in a dance club.

1. Wait so are we talking about Android revisions or a company's financials? Per 2012, HTC has the fastest update turnaround out of all OEMs who manufacture Android-based devices. If the update time frame discussion were to focus solely on the Android version (i.e., non-UI updates, security patches, bug-fixes, carrier updates, and general software updates) , I will have to take anyone's word for it. I've not seen any type of metrics that indicate the average time to market for release updates (per OEM). If what you say has merit, then devices from Sony Corp, LG Electronics, HTC, Motorola, and others which are released to the public market, should be subject to the same level of buyers anxiety with regards to not the most current version of the Android OS.

2. What aspect of the picture quality is lagging? What quality was affected by the MP count (image cropping or macro shots)? The comparisons you speak of where the One was last or next to last all have one thing in common with regards to the source (I'll be glad to elaborate on this if you like). As for this "fact" you mentioned, I included those results (PhoneArena, GSMArena) along with ones that I've reviewed from other online comparisons and I find myself having a different opinion. Based on the underlying hardware mechanisms for, image processing, image sensors, and camera optics, I'd be hard pressed to declare any other smartphones camera to be all around on par with or superior to what the HTC One is equipped with. Off the top of my head, the Nokia 920, 1020, N8, and 808 Pureview are the elite in that respect. When you say poor picture quality, are you referencing the falloff of image detail when of doing high percentage crops, high ISO noise when shooting in low-light environments (which can be a side-affect of having high MP count on a smaller sized sensor), improper focus, details not captured for marcro shots, or any other deficiencies that are beyond the user's control?

3. HTC has stated before that they do not disclose explicit sales numbers for their devices. They indicated in this instance, that the HTC One's production capacity couldn't meet the demand during the initial release time frame. Any other comparative references to sales by HTC were that the One has been more successful thus far sales-wise than last year's flagship devices. If the One is not meeting sales expectations (initial release and month-to-month trends), suffering a high return rate, and is accumulating unsold inventory, then I'd say that it could be deemed a failure for HTC.

4. The commercials that I've seen both online and broadcast television were in the same vein for the One and S4. The adverts impersonating iPhone users featured a younger demographic playing the more prominent roles. This coincides with the commercial of the Pool Party that depicted young graduates demoing the S4's capabilities. The HTC One's advertisements for Blinkfeed and "gimmicky" Boomsound appeared to have the same age demographic playing the applicable roles.Other passive advertisements for example, include posters and/or banners at the FIFA World Cup tournament. I'm not seeing how that in any way was targeted towards young adults. I'm also not understanding your statement about the limited appeal of a feature at bars and clubs. Are you using that as an example of a target market (patrons of clubs and bars)? I'm curious about what features (if any) would have an appeal in those environments (i.e., low-light photography, call quality, etc.)?

 

[BigDinCA]

1. A lot of people are hesitant about buying a phone without the latest version of an OS. Combine that with HTC's reputation(some fair/some unfair) for slow updates and their well-publicized financial woes and perhaps some people stayed away from the One.

That's a complete load. In these forums, most of us care about updates and the latest and greatest version. In the rest of the world, people see JB and they are satisfied with that. Assuming they even care that much. Not having 4.2.2 or 4.3 is akin to complaining about not having the latest Windows Updates installed on their computers - most people won't even recognize it. If more people cared about it you would see it somewhere in an advertisement:

"... say "hello!" to your new life partner, the Samsung Galaxy S4. Shipping with Android Jelly Bean version 4.2.2, the latest and greatest."
"The LG G2 is great, but we're holding it up for a few weeks so we can give you guys 4.3 to make it even greater! Life's Good with current versions of software!"

 

[hodan]

Maybe they should stop trying to be something they're not and realize they are in a very precarious position. I love HTC products and always have. But they make phones. Not televisions and dishwashers and CPUs for other manufacturers and refrigerators and laptops and cameras and MP3 players. They don't have the luxury that Samsung has, nor the brand recognition across the consumer board. They can't release devices the same way a Samsung or Sony can, in a long and drawn-out fashion. I realize there are intricacies that most of us are not privy to, but what is the real reason the One isn't on Verizon? There is no technical reason, of that I am 1000% sure. Why on earth is there no 64GB option for anyone other than AT&T? STILL! Why does it take nearly 6 months to roll out different (and ridiculously awesome) color choices for this singular flagship device? Okay, maybe you don't want to drop everything all at once, but 6+ months for a memory option and even longer for new colors that you surely knew, from the get go, were going to be produced? These are the little things that people can't stand. Normal people, I mean. While here in the nerd-herd we complain about update schedules and the like, my wife and kids and their friends don't care. They do, however, see that there are colors and higher capacities they can't get for awhile, if ever, because they're stuck on T-Mo or Sprint or Verizon.

Was the AT&T deal for the 64GB model worth more than the unrealized profit from the extra devices they could have sold on T-Mobile, Sprint and Cincy Bell? That's not including the Verizon devices that still haven't been sold yet. Without the Android-staple of the removable storage card lots of folks wanted more capacity but, save for AT&T, couldn't get it with the One. So they waited, or grabbed the GS4. I understand that changing these things doesn't generate an extra $2B in quarterly revenue, but leaving piles of money on the table doesn't help. Even if it's a little pile of money, there are millions of tables out there.

The Blue One should've been an AT&T exclusive with 64gb. The Red One should've been Verizon exclusive with 64gb. Black and Silver on Sprint and T-Mo.

All should've been available on the same release day. I agree - the only two things HTC should be worried about are (1) Building phones/hardware (2) Building and UPDATING software for their phones.

It's kind of like watching GM failing - hey guys - we're losing money by the boatload - so......let's keep doing things exactly the same way. It's really embarrassing to see Cyanogen have a rom build that is constantly updated, yet multi-million dollar company can't keep Sense updated.

 

[Almeuit]

I will say it is funny how Verizon doesn't have it yet. I wonder if that's Verizon or HTC's fault... I'd assume Verizon since Sprint has it and they are on CDMA to.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[BigDinCA]

The Blue One should've been an AT&T exclusive with 64gb. The Red One should've been Verizon exclusive with 64gb. Black and Silver on Sprint and T-Mo.

All should've been available on the same release day. I agree - the only two things HTC should be worried about are (1) Building phones/hardware (2) Building and UPDATING software for their phones.

Yeah, I'm fine with a little exclusivity. I understand the need for it sometimes and certainly the little marketing push it can give a carrier for a short period of time. But have an exit strategy and let your customers know what the plan is so we can make some decisions having had all of the pertinent information, not just a little bit of it. Like Moto - Motomaker is exclusive to AT&T until November. It may really irk people to no end but at least they know they will have that option and a timeframe for it. If you're debating a switch to the Death Star, maybe that pushes you over the top. If not you'll have to wait. But you can make a more informed decision because you were given lots of information from the get-go.