You're in charge of HTC. What to do going forward?

[desura]

HTC seems to be in a bad place. They have high quality stuff, but they seem to have made some big missteps in marketing and execution which has allowed Samsung to really beat them out. They should have been the king of Android phones.

The first thing that I would do would be to revamp the naming system. I still don't get it. They have a bunch of One phones with some letters after them to denote the latest model...which doesn't indicate that it is 2012 or 2014's model.

Just call it the One. then the Two. Then the Three. The Four.

I'd focus on making the phones be known for something like really good battery life, or really slim profiles.

I never understood the logic behind buying into Beats, either. For marketing it would probably make more sense to focus on product placement instead of conventional ad buys.

On a side note, on a whole it seems like Korea is doing better than Taiwan in electronics. how come?

 

[BladeVenom]

They could work with Google and produce a Nexus device for them.

 

[Ravynmagi]

* An upper-end mid-range phone.
HTC needs something in the $300-400 range to cater to the growing number of people that don't want to get a contract phone, but also don't want a piece of garbage. HTC doesn't have anything that I'd call upper-end mid range. The Desire 816 is kinda close, 720p display with Snapdragon 400, but it's a 5.5 inch phablet. And the Desire 610 specs are much worse. They need something around 4.7-5 inches with a 720p display and Snapdragon 600 that's in the $300-400 range or cheaper if possible.

* An M8 Alternative.
I think they need another high end phone. M8 is beautiful, but a lot of customers are turned off by the size. They need an M8 without the boom speakers.

 

[crashtestdummy]

I think they're focusing too much on the prestige of top-end devices. The market for $600 phones is mostly saturated by now. Those that already have high-end phones are likely to stick with the Samsungs and Apples they've had before, as there's no "killer app" available that will pull people away from what they know. They would be better off aiming either at the low end like Motorola and Nokia, or the midrange like the Nexus. Most of the sales growth over the next few years is going to come from that commodity, low margin region. Most of those who don't have smartphones by now either can't afford or aren't interested in paying for an expensive subsidized contract.

Also, outside of phone size, there seems to be relatively little differentiation between phone designs. Other than Nokia and the iPhone 5C, pretty much all smartphones look the same. It's hard to build brand recognition when there's no easy way to identify them. I have a cheap Lumia 521, and even there any time I pull it out it's quickly noticed by people as something that looks very different.

 

[bearxor]

Live like it's 2000-2005 again.

Partner with carriers in the US to brand phones just for the carrier according to their specs. Give in to most of their demands and requirements to release phones.

Flood the market with your own branded phones in the super-cheap range. Less than $200. Provide a "flagship device" exclusively on the Play Store as a GPe edition, price in the $400-450 range.

HTC simply isn't going to be able to compete without massive promotion from the carriers, which making carrier-branded handsets would provide, and without severely undercutting the competition on pricing.

I know providing carrier-branded handsets is likely to be a unpopular option round these parts, but it's how they got their start and it's a pretty big opportunity to get cash flow.

 

[WelshBloke]

Just call it the One. then the Two. Then the Three. The Four.

Worst. Idea. Ever.
Just the name and then the year would be fine.

All I can comment on is what I don't like about their phones. I think they spent too much time listening to the Internet echo chamber rather than looking at what sells.

Big screens are really popular and a no brainer for a flagship android phone. Problem is when you also add twin forward speakers and an aluminium unibody then you end up with a huge, heavy device. Remember this is a device that you carry around in your trouser pocket.

Frankly I think that they way overestimated the draw of a metal bodied phone. The iPhone gets away with it due to its smaller size and lower power requirements but a top of the line android phone with a big screen is just too big and heavy the way HTC make them.

 

[Kenmitch]

Go where the competition isn't currently so fierce....Windows phone.

Reasoning is there isn't really much to choose from if you don't like the Nokia look.

 

[WelshBloke]

Go where the competition isn't currently so fierce....Windows phone.

They could try that, but I'm not sure how making their pool of prospective customers an order of magnitude smaller would help them.

 

[lothar]

I think they're focusing too much on the prestige of top-end devices. The market for $600 phones is mostly saturated by now. Those that already have high-end phones are likely to stick with the Samsungs and Apples they've had before, as there's no "killer app" available that will pull people away from what they know. They would be better off aiming either at the low end like Motorola and Nokia, or the midrange like the Nexus. Most of the sales growth over the next few years is going to come from that commodity, low margin region. Most of those who don't have smartphones by now either can't afford or aren't interested in paying for an expensive subsidized contract.

Also, outside of phone size, there seems to be relatively little differentiation between phone designs. Other than Nokia and the iPhone 5C, pretty much all smartphones look the same. It's hard to build brand recognition when there's no easy way to identify them. I have a cheap Lumia 521, and even there any time I pull it out it's quickly noticed by people as something that looks very different.

I don't consider Nexus phones to be mid-range at all(unless if by mid-range, you were referencing price and not specs).

 

[postmortemIA]

beg moto, lg, even samsung to buy the company and its IP

 

[lothar]

Live like it's 2000-2005 again.

Partner with carriers in the US to brand phones just for the carrier according to their specs. Give in to most of their demands and requirements to release phones.

Flood the market with your own branded phones in the super-cheap range. Less than $200. Provide a "flagship device" exclusively on the Play Store as a GPe edition, price in the $400-450 range.

HTC simply isn't going to be able to compete without massive promotion from the carriers, which making carrier-branded handsets would provide, and without severely undercutting the competition on pricing.

I know providing carrier-branded handsets is likely to be a unpopular option round these parts, but it's how they got their start and it's a pretty big opportunity to get cash flow.

That might not work well in today's world that requires volume orders to produce a deep discount from the parts suppliers because it wouldn't produce the massive scale when different carriers have massively different requirements.
Samsung did this with the original Galaxy S series. The phones on each US carriers were massively different. The same is not so today with the S4, S5, and Note series. It's cheaper to make 1 SKU for all carriers with only the bands being different with 8MP camera, 2GB of RAM, no keyboard than to have Verizon demanding 8MP camera with 3GB of RAM exclusively, and no keyboard; Sprint demanding 12MP camera exclusively with 2GB of RAM and a physical keyboard exclusive; AT&T demanding 8MP camera with 2GB of RAM with no keyboard and also demanding wireless charging exclusively for their own device model. This issue was a pain for Samsung with the first Galaxy S series and they learnt their lesson pretty quick.

Providing a "flagship" device on the Play Store as a GPe device for $400-450 might eat into their profit margins. The flagship One M8 GPe device today costs $700...Unless if you're saying they should make a midrange device exclusively for the Play Store. When I think of the word "flagship", I automatically think "high end". I don't consider the Galaxy S4 Mini to be a "flagship" device for example.

Massive promotion from the carrier didn't seem to help Moto...

 

[crashtestdummy]

I don't consider Nexus phones to be mid-range at all(unless if by mid-range, you were referencing price and not specs).

I was talking price, but that's part of the point. Someone might still buy the more expensive Galaxy or iPhone for the name brand, but in reality you can make an extremely capable phone that satisfies the majority of users for far less. HTC, which doesn't have that brand reputation, is really going to struggle convincing someone to pay $200 more for their phone than a Nexus.

 

[Bateluer]

Live like it's 2000-2005 again.

Partner with carriers in the US to brand phones just for the carrier according to their specs. Give in to most of their demands and requirements to release phones.

Flood the market with your own branded phones in the super-cheap range. Less than $200. Provide a "flagship device" exclusively on the Play Store as a GPe edition, price in the $400-450 range.

HTC simply isn't going to be able to compete without massive promotion from the carriers, which making carrier-branded handsets would provide, and without severely undercutting the competition on pricing.

I know providing carrier-branded handsets is likely to be a unpopular option round these parts, but it's how they got their start and it's a pretty big opportunity to get cash flow.

This is exactly how they got into their current predicament. Too much carrier specific junk with not enough software support because they had to jump through the hoops of every carrier.

Go where the competition isn't currently so fierce....Windows phone.

Also a poor strategy. Windows Phone has a relatively small set of hardware configurations, and they don't really change much. The same Windows Phone HTC could make in 2014 would still be considered a flagship level device at the end of 2015; except they'd have to sell it at massive discounts against competing devices with vastly superior hardware.

Reasoning is there isn't really much to choose from if you don't like the Nokia look.

This the serious draw back to Windows Phone; they're all more or less the same. If you dislike the UI on a Lumia 521, you don't like any Windows Phone whether its Nokia, Samsung, HTC, or someone else. If you dislike HTC's UI, there's LG, Samsung, GPe models, Motorola, or just simply a custom launcher.

 

[s44]

Moto G

 

[dguy6789]

Marketing.

 

[lothar]

Marketing.

HTC paid the Iron Man dude a cool $1 billion for 2 years worth of marketing. That's no small chump change.

 

[s44]

HTC paid the Iron Man dude a cool $1 billion for 2 years worth of marketing.

And it was all pure shit.

 

[Zaap]

1.I would covertly start a thread like this on a respected tech site full of people that (full disclosure) clearly know far more about what makes for sought after mobile devices than my company currently does. ( as well as how to properly market them).

2. I'd monitor it, then make a list of the best ideas.

3. I'd actually implement the best ideas.

 

[Tsaar]

Don't make a phone with 2 bezels. Somehow LG got a huge battery with razer thin bezels. Other manufacturers, including Samsung, need to take notes from them.

 

[GTRagnarok]

Don't make a phone with 2 bezels. Somehow LG got a huge battery with razer thin bezels. Other manufacturers, including Samsung, need to take notes from them.

What. Samsung is right up there with LG in screen-to-size ratio WITHOUT using onscreen buttons.

 

[Rdmkr]

develop a version of the HTC One Mini with a snapdragon 800(+) and high quality camera. I'd buy it instantly.

if they put the Moto X's processor in there that would be sufficient though.

shrink horizontal bezels; vertical bezels are less of a big deal and the stereo speakers are cool.

I also think they probably went a bit overboard when it comes to the whole ultrapixel thing and should shoot for a balance that is easier to defend from a marketing point of view. 6MP ultrapixel might do the trick, especially if they can get their hands on a bigger sensor.

aggressively market the fact that despite their lower megapixel count, their sensors aren't any smaller than the competition's.

 

[Dari]

The developed world is reaching saturation. Go where the growth is, which is developing markets. In the developed world, they need to focus on software. In the developing world, price. And market the hell out of everything.

Realistically, the problem with HTC is the same issue facing many Taiwanese firms. They are a small island nation and think small. Sometimes you have to break that psyche and go big. I don't think HTC was ever comfortable being in the smartphone leadership position. When they had money, they made bad investments. Now, they should simply focus on what they do best, whatever that is.

 

[zerogear]

They could work with Google and produce a Nexus device for them.

http://www.gizbot.com/mobile/next-gen-nexus-6-smartphone-could-be-manufactured-htc-016559.html

Rumor though

 

[agfkfhahddhdn]

It continually blows my mind that Samsung is so successful. Their hardware design is plasticky and cheap feeling. TouchWiz is the worst UI I've ever used on any device. And yet they are the highest selling phone manufacturer in the world. Maybe HTC should try less hard? Make a worse phone? That seems to be the key.

 

[poofyhairguy]

http://www.gizbot.com/mobile/next-gen-nexus-6-smartphone-could-be-manufactured-htc-016559.html

Rumor though

That would be a huge help for them. Even though many loved the HTC One and Sensation, honestly they haven't had a top nerd device since the HTC One.

LG was an afterthought on Android, then they got some press from the Nexus devices and eventually we take the G2 seriously. Go read this forum in 2011 and LG devices weren't even talked about. Nerds and Nexuses don't push a lot of units, but they create a positive feeling about the brand in the press that normals pick up on.

Another thing HTC could do is get into wearables and nail it. Take the HTC One's design and make a watch out of it and the Gear series will look like a toy. You aren't beating Samsung on the phone side because the design matters less, so go beat them in a field where design does matter.