Taiwanese smart phone maker HTC’s troubles do not seem to subside as the firm has now decided to shut its shop in Korea primarily due to its inability to compete with rival manufacturers like Samsung among others.
As per Korean news agency Yonhap, HTC’s sales have been much below expectations which has led to the country director resigning from his post as well.
HTC’s sales figures have not corrected as expected even after the launch of the much appreciated and well received One series of smartphones. HTC had gone back to the drawing board and revised their strategy to come up with a limited number of quality smartphones rather than aiming at the quantity.
Samsung’s runaway success isn’t helping matters either, with their champion flagship device the Galaxy SIII definitely affecting the sales of HTC’s flagship One X. The SIII has single handedly managed to outsell the entire range of the HTC One series, which highlights the plight the once dominant Android manufacturer finds itself in.
Also as per the recent sales figures by Strategy Analytics, HTC no longer features in the top 5 list of Android manufacturers, whereas Samsung tops it with sales of about 50.5 million smartphones in the last quarter and a market share of 26% of the global mobile industry.
HTC was earlier forced to make a similar move in Brazil in June winding up operations in the South American country due to poor sales.
HTC meanwhile has issued a press release stating that:
“This is a hard decision that has direct impact on people who have contributed to the growth HTC has experienced the past several years. However, to achieve our long-term goals as a business and return maximum value to our shareholders, these are necessary steps to drive ongoing innovation, ensure our ability to create strong products like the HTC One, and forge strong customer relationships that solidify our future. HTC is proud of its employees and has a track record of hiring the best and brightest; we continue to hire in strategic areas and encourage impacted employees to apply for open positions that are a fit for their skills.”
