Is HTC in trouble? The Taiwanese company is presently looking around for a buyer, according to some online media reports.
Taiwanese tech company HTC, famous for its smartphones and the recent entrance into the VR world with Vive, is probably passing through rough waters. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company is looking for strategic options, which means it is putting itself up for sale sighting financial issues. Recently, the company spun off its VR arm as a separate business, and now it seems that HTC is now planning to sell the entire company out. There are reports stating that Google could be an interested party.
HTC has been steadily falling since a few years. The early pioneers of Android phones and a major player in the smartphone business, HTC has been facing tough competition from top rivals Apple and Samsung, and also from budget players Xiaomi and OnePlus.
Since venturing into the VR segment, HTC was looking better. However, a recent price cut of almost $200 to their VIVE headsets for a sales boost, things don’t look good. HTC went down to the third place in the VR market this Q1, placing it behind Samsung and Sony.
Sources in the industry state that Google could opt for the company for VR reasons, similar to hoe Facebook acquired Oculus for the VR push. Samsung could also jump onto the bandwagon, since the company is presently banking on Oculus for their VR future. Having their own in-house VR platform, Samsung could rub shoulders in the VR market with Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Google.
For now, neither HTC or the other companies have commented on the matter.
(Via CNET)
