High Tech Computer
Encyclopedia
HTC Corporation , formerly High Tech Computer Corporation, is a Taiwanese
manufacturer of smartphone
s. The company initially made smartphones based mostly on Microsoft
's Windows Mobile
operating system
(OS) software, but in 2009 it began to shift its core focus away from Windows Mobile devices to devices based on Android OS, and in 2010 to Windows Phone
OS as well.
HTC is also a member of the Open Handset Alliance
, a group of handset manufacturers and mobile network operators dedicated to the advancement of the Android mobile device platform. The HTC Dream
, marketed by T-Mobile
in many countries as the T-Mobile G1 or Era G1 in Poland, was the first phone on the market to use the Android mobile device platform.
, HT Cho, and Peter Chou. Initially a manufacturer of notebook computers
, HTC began designing some of the world's first touch and wireless hand-held devices in 1998. The company has a rich heritage of many "firsts", including creating the first Microsoft-powered smartphone
(2002) and the first Microsoft 3G phone (2005). Their first major product was made in 2000 and was one of the world's first touch screen smartphones. The Palm Treo 650 and the iPAQ
were created by HTC. They started producing 3G
-capable phones in early 2005 and made the world's first Android phone in 2008, the HTC Dream
(also marketed as the T-Mobile G1). It was first released in the United States
for pre-order through T-Mobile USA
on September 23, 2008, and became available in U.S. T-Mobile stores on October 22, 2008. The G1 was available in the UK
several days after its USA launch, and has since been introduced in many countries including Australia
and Singapore
. In 2009, the company launched the HTC Sense
interface for the platform with the HTC Hero
.
In March 2010, Apple Inc. filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission
claiming infringement of 20 of its patents covering aspects of the iPhone
user interface and hardware. HTC disagreed with Apple's actions and reiterated its commitment to creating innovative smartphones. HTC also filed a complaint against Apple for infringing on 5 of its patents and sought to ban Apple products imported into the US from manufacturing facilities in Asia. Apple expanded its original complaint by adding two more patents.
In June 2010, the company launched the HTC Evo 4G
, the first 4G
-capable phone in the United States. In July 2010, HTC announced it would begin selling smartphones in China
under its own brand name in a partnership with China Mobile
. In 2010, HTC sold over 24.6 million handsets, up 111% over 2009.
HTC was named the "Device Manufacturer of the Year" for 2011 by the GSMA at the Mobile World Congress
on 16 February 2011. In April 2011, the company's market value surpassed that of Nokia
to become the third largest smartphone maker in the world, only behind Apple and Samsung
.
On July 6, 2011 it was announced that HTC would buy VIA Technologies' stake in S3 Graphics
, thus becoming the majority owner of S3.
On August 6 2011, HTC acquired Dashwire for $18.5M. In August 2011, HTC confirmed that HTC will be entering a strategic partnership with Beats Electronics by acquiring 51 percent of Beat's shares.
In the 2011 Best Global Brands rankings released by Interbrand
, HTC was listed at #98 and valued at $3.6 billion.
Based on researcher Canalys
, in Q3 2011 HTC Corporation became the largest smartphone vendor in the U.S. by 24 percent, ahead of Samsung
's 21 percent, Apple by 20 percent and Blackberry just 9 percent. HTC Corporation made different models for each operator.
who is the daughter of the late Wang Yung-ching
, Taiwan's petrochemical industrial giant and one of Taiwan's wealthiest men. Peter Chou serves as President and CEO, and HT Cho as Director of the Board and Chairman of HTC Foundation. HTC's CFO
is Hui-Ming Cheng. In addition to being chair of HTC, Cher Wang is also acting chair of VIA Technologies
. HTC's main divisions, including the IA (Information Appliance) engineering division and the WM (Wireless Mobile) engineering division, are ISO 9001/ISO 14001-qualified facilities.
The company's growth has accelerated dramatically since being chosen by Microsoft
as a hardware platform development partner for the Windows Mobile
operating system (based on Windows CE
). HTC also works with Google to build mobile phones running Google's Android mobile OS such as the Nexus One
. HTC's sales revenue totalled $2.2 billion for 2005, a 102% increase from the prior year. It was listed as the fastest-growing tech company in BusinessWeeks Info Tech 100.
HTC has invested strongly in research and development
, which accounts for a quarter of its employees. The company's North American headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington
. HTC runs a software design office in Seattle (near its North American headquarters) where it designs its own interface for its phones. In 2011, HTC also opened a research and development office in Durham, North Carolina
, a location the company chose over Seattle and Atlanta, to focus on multiple areas of wireless
technology.
, selling devices such as the HTC Wizard
as the T-Mobile MDA
and the Cingular 8125. The company focused on telecom operators who were willing to pay a contract manufacturer
for customized products. Today, many HTC devices (e.g., Incredible, Evo 4G
) are marketed and sold under the HTC brand, though its main focus still remains with smartphones.
reports that HTC is assessing creating its own mobile operating system
to compete with Apple's iOS, Google's Android, and Microsoft's Windows Phone
. On May 27th 2011, in response to customer feedback, HTC announced that they will no longer lock the bootloaders on their Android based phones.
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
manufacturer of smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s. The company initially made smartphones based mostly on Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
(OS) software, but in 2009 it began to shift its core focus away from Windows Mobile devices to devices based on Android OS, and in 2010 to Windows Phone
Windows Phone
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
OS as well.
HTC is also a member of the Open Handset Alliance
Open Handset Alliance
The Open Handset Alliance is a consortium of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, T-Mobile, Nvidia, and Wind River Systems.-History:The OHA was...
, a group of handset manufacturers and mobile network operators dedicated to the advancement of the Android mobile device platform. The HTC Dream
HTC Dream
The HTC Dream is an Internet-enabled smartphone with an operating system designed by Google and hardware designed by HTC...
, marketed by T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
in many countries as the T-Mobile G1 or Era G1 in Poland, was the first phone on the market to use the Android mobile device platform.
History
HTC was founded in 1997 by Cher WangCher Wang
Cher Wang is a Taiwanese entrepreneur. Wang is a co-founder and the chairperson of the HTC Corporation and VIA Technologies. Her father was Wang Yung-ching, who was one of the richest individuals in Taiwan...
, HT Cho, and Peter Chou. Initially a manufacturer of notebook computers
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, HTC began designing some of the world's first touch and wireless hand-held devices in 1998. The company has a rich heritage of many "firsts", including creating the first Microsoft-powered smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
(2002) and the first Microsoft 3G phone (2005). Their first major product was made in 2000 and was one of the world's first touch screen smartphones. The Palm Treo 650 and the iPAQ
IPAQ
iPAQ presently refers to a Pocket PC and personal digital assistant first unveiled by Compaq in April 2000; the name was borrowed from Compaq's earlier iPAQ Desktop Personal Computers. Since Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq, the product has been marketed by HP. The devices use a Windows...
were created by HTC. They started producing 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
-capable phones in early 2005 and made the world's first Android phone in 2008, the HTC Dream
HTC Dream
The HTC Dream is an Internet-enabled smartphone with an operating system designed by Google and hardware designed by HTC...
(also marketed as the T-Mobile G1). It was first released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for pre-order through T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
on September 23, 2008, and became available in U.S. T-Mobile stores on October 22, 2008. The G1 was available in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
several days after its USA launch, and has since been introduced in many countries including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In 2009, the company launched the HTC Sense
HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a graphical user interface developed by HTC Corporation for mobile devices running Android, Brew and Windows Mobile.Based on the TouchFLO 3D design, HTC has referred to HTC Sense as both a user interface in itself and also as a user experience layer on top of TouchFLO 3D.Announced June...
interface for the platform with the HTC Hero
HTC Hero
The HTC Hero is the third phone manufactured by the HTC Corporation for the Android platform, as part of the A series...
.
In March 2010, Apple Inc. filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission
United States International Trade Commission
The United States International Trade Commission is an independent, bi-partisan, quasi-judicial, federal agency of the United States that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches. Further, the agency determines the impact of imports on U.S...
claiming infringement of 20 of its patents covering aspects of the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
user interface and hardware. HTC disagreed with Apple's actions and reiterated its commitment to creating innovative smartphones. HTC also filed a complaint against Apple for infringing on 5 of its patents and sought to ban Apple products imported into the US from manufacturing facilities in Asia. Apple expanded its original complaint by adding two more patents.
In June 2010, the company launched the HTC Evo 4G
HTC Evo 4G
The HTC Evo 4G is a smartphone developed by HTC Corporation and marketed as Sprint's flagship Android smartphone, running on its WiMAX network...
, the first 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
-capable phone in the United States. In July 2010, HTC announced it would begin selling smartphones in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
under its own brand name in a partnership with China Mobile
China Mobile
China Mobile Limited is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company that provides mobile voice and multimedia services through its nationwide mobile telecommunications network, the largest of its kind in the world...
. In 2010, HTC sold over 24.6 million handsets, up 111% over 2009.
HTC was named the "Device Manufacturer of the Year" for 2011 by the GSMA at the Mobile World Congress
Mobile World Congress
The GSMA Mobile World Congress is the combination of the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry and a conference featuring prominent Chief Executives representing mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from across the world...
on 16 February 2011. In April 2011, the company's market value surpassed that of Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
to become the third largest smartphone maker in the world, only behind Apple and Samsung
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul...
.
On July 6, 2011 it was announced that HTC would buy VIA Technologies' stake in S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics, Ltd is an American company specializing in graphics chipsets. Although they do not have the large market share that they once had, they still produce graphics accelerators for home computers under the "S3 Chrome" brand name.-History:...
, thus becoming the majority owner of S3.
On August 6 2011, HTC acquired Dashwire for $18.5M. In August 2011, HTC confirmed that HTC will be entering a strategic partnership with Beats Electronics by acquiring 51 percent of Beat's shares.
In the 2011 Best Global Brands rankings released by Interbrand
Interbrand
Interbrand, a division of Omnicom, is a global branding consultancy, specializing in vast brand services, including brand analytics, brand strategy, brand valuation, corporate design, digital brand management, and naming...
, HTC was listed at #98 and valued at $3.6 billion.
Based on researcher Canalys
Canalys
Canalys is an independent technology focused analyst house. It offers its clients market intelligence, analysis and strategic consultancy about trends and activity in a range of high-tech markets, and with route-to-market strategies...
, in Q3 2011 HTC Corporation became the largest smartphone vendor in the U.S. by 24 percent, ahead of Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
's 21 percent, Apple by 20 percent and Blackberry just 9 percent. HTC Corporation made different models for each operator.
Corporate information
HTC's chairwoman is Cher WangCher Wang
Cher Wang is a Taiwanese entrepreneur. Wang is a co-founder and the chairperson of the HTC Corporation and VIA Technologies. Her father was Wang Yung-ching, who was one of the richest individuals in Taiwan...
who is the daughter of the late Wang Yung-ching
Wang Yung-ching
Wang Yung-ching was an influential entrepreneur who founded a large business empire in Taiwan. According to the 2008 Forbes survey, he was the 178th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of US$5.5 billion...
, Taiwan's petrochemical industrial giant and one of Taiwan's wealthiest men. Peter Chou serves as President and CEO, and HT Cho as Director of the Board and Chairman of HTC Foundation. HTC's CFO
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
is Hui-Ming Cheng. In addition to being chair of HTC, Cher Wang is also acting chair of VIA Technologies
VIA Technologies
VIA Technologies is a Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits, mainly motherboard chipsets, CPUs, and memory, and is part of the Formosa Plastics Group. It is the world's largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets...
. HTC's main divisions, including the IA (Information Appliance) engineering division and the WM (Wireless Mobile) engineering division, are ISO 9001/ISO 14001-qualified facilities.
The company's growth has accelerated dramatically since being chosen by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
as a hardware platform development partner for the Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
operating system (based on Windows CE
Windows CE
Microsoft Windows CE is an operating system developed by Microsoft for embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows...
). HTC also works with Google to build mobile phones running Google's Android mobile OS such as the Nexus One
Nexus One
The Nexus One was Google's flagship smartphone manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation. It became available on January 5, 2010 and uses the Android open source mobile operating system...
. HTC's sales revenue totalled $2.2 billion for 2005, a 102% increase from the prior year. It was listed as the fastest-growing tech company in BusinessWeeks Info Tech 100.
HTC has invested strongly in research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
, which accounts for a quarter of its employees. The company's North American headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. HTC runs a software design office in Seattle (near its North American headquarters) where it designs its own interface for its phones. In 2011, HTC also opened a research and development office in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, a location the company chose over Seattle and Atlanta, to focus on multiple areas of wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
technology.
Product range
When HTC was founded it was strictly an original design manufacturerOriginal Design Manufacturer
An original design manufacturer is a company which designs and manufactures a product which is specified and eventually branded by another firm for sale. Such companies allow the brand firm to produce without having to engage in the organization or running of a factory...
, selling devices such as the HTC Wizard
HTC Wizard
The HTC Wizard is an Internet-enabled Windows Mobile Pocket PC smartphone designed by High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan. It has a touchscreen with a left-side slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Wizard's functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player in addition to text...
as the T-Mobile MDA
T-Mobile MDA
T-Mobile MDA may refer to one of several T-Mobile branded phones manufactured by High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan:*T-Mobile MDA , a T-Mobile branded HTC Wallaby*T-Mobile MDA II, a T-Mobile branded HTC Himalaya...
and the Cingular 8125. The company focused on telecom operators who were willing to pay a contract manufacturer
Contract manufacturer
A contract manufacturer is a manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products. It is a form of outsourcing.-Business model:...
for customized products. Today, many HTC devices (e.g., Incredible, Evo 4G
HTC Evo 4G
The HTC Evo 4G is a smartphone developed by HTC Corporation and marketed as Sprint's flagship Android smartphone, running on its WiMAX network...
) are marketed and sold under the HTC brand, though its main focus still remains with smartphones.
Innovations
On February 17, 2010, Fast Company ranked HTC as the 31st most innovative company in the world. BloombergBloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
reports that HTC is assessing creating its own mobile operating system
Mobile operating system
A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a...
to compete with Apple's iOS, Google's Android, and Microsoft's Windows Phone
Windows Phone
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
. On May 27th 2011, in response to customer feedback, HTC announced that they will no longer lock the bootloaders on their Android based phones.
Sports Sponsorship
HTC sponsored the HTC-Highroad cycling team, currently the most successful team in professional cycling from 2009 to 2011. The Team will disband in 2012 due to lack of sponsorship and investment.See also
- List of HTC phones
- TouchFLOTouchFLOTouchFLO refers to the user interface before the existence of HTC Sense. TouchFLO and TouchFLO 3D have been retired in favor of HTC Sense....
- TouchFLO 3DTouchFLO 3DTouchFLO 3D is a graphical user interface designed by HTC. It is used in the HTC Touch Family of Pocket PCs and was preceded by TouchFLO. TouchFLO 3D has been ported to Windows Mobile and Android, and is used in the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch HD, HTC MAX 4G, HTC Touch Diamond2 and...
- HTC SenseHTC SenseHTC Sense is a graphical user interface developed by HTC Corporation for mobile devices running Android, Brew and Windows Mobile.Based on the TouchFLO 3D design, HTC has referred to HTC Sense as both a user interface in itself and also as a user experience layer on top of TouchFLO 3D.Announced June...