HTC expects holiday sales to drop 15%
updated 03:25 pm EST, Fri November 13, 2009
HTC fall to suffer from iPhone, others
HTC this week warned that it should see a significant drop in its fall sales. The company expects its fall sales to sink 15 percent compared to the same season a year ago. It portrays the results as mixed due to strong US sales of Android phones, such as the Hero, being offset by a lack of presence in Europe.
Competition is expected to weigh heavily on the sales. The iPhone 3GS helped Apple outgrow HTC despite the latter's longer experience in the smartphone market and has also forced carriers to sell HTC's phones aggressively, in Europe giving them away for free on contract and in the US selling them for as little as $100 when new. As one of the largest primary customers for Windows Mobile, its market share has been partly linked to the declining public perception of the Microsoft OS.
To improve its standing, HTC has launched a major ad campaign and has recently landed breakthrough deals, including selling the Droid Eris Android phone at Verizon.
