For a few years, smartphone giant and former Android luvvie HTC has been posting loss after loss.
What on earth happened to this company? They still have legions of loyal fans and make some great phones.
Engadget's article makes for some interesting, yet sad reading.
HTC have lost a lot of ground to Samsung since 2012's Galaxy S3 and Samsung's annual flagship releases, but the biggest losses appear to be caused by smartphone saturation.
Android uptake has slowed across the globe, and speaking purely from a UK point of view, most phone contracts are now 2 years in length, which limits the numbers of potential customers who can upgrade annually to the latest flagship.
HTC had innovation way back in the day of the HTC Hero and Legend, but apart from a premium all metal body, what are they offering that's different?
HTC don't even seem to be making too much of an effort with the cameras installed on their phones these days, while the likes of LG have marketed some really good technology.
HTC know that they are losing customers in the Far East, and it's no suprise when phones like the OnePlus Two and other Chinese-built phones are rivalling the major flagships. Huawei are becoming a major player in the market, and I hope that they succeed, but it would be a sad loss to see HTC go down the pan.
I've never owned a HTC phone (I almost got a HTC Wildfire in 2010, but decided that I'd try the awful Samsung Galaxy Europa instead). Friends and colleagues who have HTC phones wouldn't choose any other manufacturer, but is this loyalty sliding due to a lack of innovation?
HTC phones have never been known for their good battery life, but maybe too many years have passed without any noticeable differences between HTC and the competition - HTC Sense UI was great, but even Samsung decided that their Touchwiz UI needed an overhaul.
It's good to see more manufacturers in the marketplace, but I don't want to see any more disappear in the same way that Nokia fell from grace.
