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Ex-HTC CEO hints at the future of VR headsets
For a man who spent 18 years at HTC turning smartphones from mere business tools into ubiquitous consumer gadgets, Peter Chou knows a thing or two about nurturing new product categories. In fact, he had already started his second chapter at the company by bringing us the Vive virtual reality headset before his quiet departure last August. Today, Chou's mission is extended by way of two chairman roles: one at visual effects studio Digital Domain, where he can "fully and deeply understand" VR content creation, and another at VR game studio Futuretown, where he is also an investor. Content development may seem like a weird match given Chou's prior focus on hardware, but to him it felt like a logical next step. After all, it's now content, not hardware, pushing VR forward.
Futuretown's modular platform turns VR into simulator rides
When we last met Futuretown's CEO Johan Yang back in February, his startup appeared to be merely a virtual reality game studio, with its popular title Cloudlands: VR Minigolf currently owning 30 percent of the HTC Vive market share. Today, the company is entering the hardware space by announcing its 5D Totalmotion at the Tokyo Game Show. This aptly-named device is a cylindrical motion feedback machine that can fit any module on top to simulate different types of scenarios, such as riding, standing and seated experiences. To demonstrate these, Futuretown also announced four new VR games: Whiteout: Ski VR, Infinity Rider: Motorcycle VR, Wave Breaker: Surf VR and Stallion Adventures: Horse Riding VR.
Two major visual effects studios join forces for VR push
Digital Domain, the visual effects studios that brought you feature films like the Transformers series, the X-Men series, Iron Man 3 and Her, has announced that it's acquiring an 85 percent stake in Hong Kong's Post Production Company Limited and its parent company for HK$135 million (about US$17.3 million), in order to make a big push in virtual reality. This is obviously a big deal for both parties: Post Production has been involved in many major Chinese movies, TV ads, music videos and even a cooking show hosted by the company's founder, Nicholas Tse, who also happens to be a local pop artist and actor. Digital Domain CEO Daniel Seah put it best by calling Post Production "the Digital Domain of China," and he added that Tse will stay on to run that part of the business.
HTC's Peter Chou joins visual effects studio behind 'Iron Man 3' (updated)
No, Peter Chou isn't leaving HTC. As the company is gearing up to launch its virtual reality platform (and another flagship phone) later this year, the co-founder has decided to pick up a second role at renowned visual effects company, Digital Domain, to strengthen his company's VR know-how. That's according to a statement from HTC, anyway. For those who don't know, Digital Domain is the digital production house behind movies like Iron Man 3 (seems like HTC just can't get enough of Robert Downey Jr.), Her and Tron: Legacy. It also made animated clips in games including Assassin's Creed Unity, Destiny and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Chou will officially join the Hong Kong-owned company as an executive director on August 31st, but it'll obviously be a while before we see what this will bring to the HTC Vive. Update: Well, HTC has finally admitted that Chou did leave the company before joining Digital Domain, though he is still an "honorable consultant" and is therefore still working for his old company. Smells like a cheeky cover-up to us, if you ask us.
HTC CEO Peter Chou steps down to focus on innovation lab
Given HTC's roller coaster ride in the past few years, it's no secret that Peter Chou had always been more of a product guy than a manager. Well, the time has finally come for him to give up his CEO role. Shortly after the One M9 launch, the Taiwanese phone maker has just announced that Chou will now be the Head of HTC Future Development Lab, as chairwoman and co-founder Cher Wang takes over his CEO position. This news comes as no surprise, given that Wang's been getting more involved in her company's daily operation since two years ago. Little is known about Chou's new division, other than HTC's statement saying he "will be instrumental in identifying future growth opportunities for the Company." If that means we can expect more cool gadgets like the RE Vive and RE Camera, then we say go for it, Chou! But please, no more of that Robert Downey Jr. weirdness.
In and out: a look at HTC's two-year executive exodus
If you get offered a high-level position with HTC, run. At least, that's the reputation the Taiwan-based manufacturer has unfortunately built over the last two years. Since 2012, no fewer than 22 members of its senior management have left the company. Some took off for personal reasons; others faced criminal charges; and still others moved on to different companies. Many of these exits have been attributed to HTC's state of health, as the smartphone (and soon to be smartwatch) maker has made costly mistakes and experienced a string of decreasing profits stretching back to the end of 2011. Let's take a look at each major departure from the beginning until the present day.
HTC CEO Peter Chou was heavily involved in the One's design
Led by CEO Peter Chou, HTC has developed a reputation for making phones that are just as visually appealing as they are functional. The company's latest flagship device, the One (M8), is another in a long lineup of beautifully crafted smartphones, and we had a chance to sit down with Chou to discuss the handset and some of the process behind how it came to be. "Our challenge was how do we break through from M7 to M8?" Chou told us. "I decided last year that I'm going to spend most of my time in product to help break through. Make it premium, like watches or jewelry. We want to stand out." Chou was definitely deeply invested in the success of the M8, and was directly involved in its development -- he lost 5kg testing out the Fitbit integration, and even spent several weeks walking around with an M8-shaped block of wood in his pocket. "I tried to simulate when I take it out, how it feels when I put it on my ear, and when I talk." In other words, Chou wanted to see it through the lens of any other consumer. During this process, he provided feedback to his design team on which areas needed to be tweaked. "We were working back and forth on fine-tuning it; 'I don't like this curve, I want it to be more natural in the hands, I want this completely metal, completely pure.'"
We're liveblogging HTC's 'all new One' event tomorrow at 11AM ET!
Given the extensive number of leaks we've seen of HTC's next-generation flagship smartphone, we wouldn't blame you if you thought that the latest and greatest out of Taiwan was already official and being sold in stores. Truth is, it's not -- but it's going to be announced in a little over 24 hours. The company is unveiling the all new HTC One in a big way: a livestreamed event taking place in both New York City and London at the same time. We'll be liveblogging the launch on the US side, and hope that you can join us as CEO Peter Chou finally reveals everything we want to know about the device codenamed the M8! March 25, 2014 11:00:00 AM EDT
HTC: the One is selling better than last year's hero products, but next quarter may see a loss
HTC's unaudited results for Q2 2013 showed a sign of hope, but in today's call for the Q3 guidance, the Taiwanese company expects next quarter's revenue to be in the range of $1.67 billion to $2 billion, with an operating profit of anything from $0 down to... well, a margin of -minus 8 percent, which would equate to a horrible loss. This is also a notable drop from last year's $2.4 billion revenue and $168 million operating profit. CEO Peter Chou blames this decline on the higher cost structure (bill of materials and operating costs) and the clearance of aged inventory in the channel, but he hopes that Q3 will be the bottom in terms of HTC's profitability. CFO Chialin Chang added that his team has a few actions in place to help restore the company to profitability very soon.
HTC launches 'Emerging Devices' arm, reorganizes US operations
HTC's attempts to dig itself out of its financial quagmire has seen some high-profile departures hogging the headline space beside its high profile devices. The latest boardroom shuffle concentrates on the company's American operations, which will now be headed up by former global sales head Jason Mackenzie (above right, playing rock-paper-scissors with Brad). At the same time, the company is establishing a new "Emerging Devices" unit, designed to focus on new products and "global distribution strategies," whatever that means.
HTC's Peter Chou: 'We're confident consumers will appreciate our innovations' (video)
Is this the One? That's pretty much the question we put to HTC's Peter Chou, whose company has had a tough time battling other mobile giants with its original One series. The CEO was kind enough to have a little chat with us after the One launch -- although his responses were often vague. We covered topics from what went wrong last year, how the new flagship device will bring the company back in the game, and where does HTC see itself from the perspective of consumers. Read on for the highlights as well as the full video clip after the break.
HTC's Peter Chou flashes M7 at company gathering, screams the name
Guess who's super excited about HTC's upcoming flagship phone? Why, Peter Chou, of course! At the company's year end party in Taipei earlier today, the CEO went on stage to thank the M7 team for working overtime last week in order to finalize the device this week, according to cnYES. Surprisingly, Chou then decided to openly play with the yet-to-be-released M7. "This event today is a great opportunity for testing [the camera]. I was still testing it just now," the exec is seen saying in NextTV's clip (available at the source link), followed by him whipping out a silver edition and a black edition of the phone. While the video clips available aren't of decent enough quality for some detailed close-ups of the M7, we can just about make out a super slim body with two distinctive lines on the back -- nothing quite like the leaks we've seen so far. Judging by the size, it does seem to match up with the rumored 4.7-inch screen size, but that's all we have for now. HTC's chairwoman Cher Wang added that she looks forward to launching the phone later this month, and naturally, so do we. After the break we have a clip of Chou enthusiastically shouting "M7" a few times with his homies -- it's OK, feel free to join along. Update: The YouTube account that hosted the original video's been closed, so we've embedded a backup of the clip.
HTC's Peter Chou: poor marketing held us back in 2012, but the worst has probably passed
Peter Chou has gone on the record with the Wall Street Journal blaming his company's rough financial performance last year on insufficient marketing. Speaking about HTC's competitors, and presumably about Samsung in particular, he described them as "too strong and very resourceful, pouring lots of money into marketing." He was candid about the fact that, relatively speaking, he doesn't have a great deal of cash at hand to counter rival publicity, but instead puts his faith in having more "unique products" -- possibly referring to phones like the 1080p Droid DNA. Overall, he said that "the worst for HTC has probably passed" and that 2013 will be "not too bad." Which is about as cautious as optimism can get.
HTC's Windows Phone 8 press event now available to watch online (video)
Love you some Windows Phone? Big fan of HTC? Well, then, we imagine this has been a good week for you! If you missed our coverage from New York as it happened, first of all, shame on you. But, we'll forgive you, and as a special treat even point you to a video of the whole event online. Simply head past the break for the goods, and if you don't want to know what happens, don't click on any of the earlier links in this post. Too late for spoilers? Okay, they announce new phones!
HTC CEO issues rallying call to staff, tells them to 'kill bureaucracy'
HTC's Peter Chou is having his own "burning platform" moment after sending a company-wide email, leaked to Bloomberg, entitled "We are coming back." The CEO, shocked at recent sales dips has talked of a company lacking "decision, strategic direction or [a] sense of urgency" and requested that employees should "kill bureaucracy." He praised the success of the well-lauded One X, but said that the company's own "processes, rules and norms" could be stumbling blocks, instead urging employees to "follow rules and criteria, but don't let small things kill the major goals." The missive has already been confirmed as real by an HTC spokesperson, who probably promptly burned a stack of TPS reports to demonstrate their commitment.
HTC: we won't delve into low-end smartphones in the near future
If you were hoping that HTC would dip into the realm of budget smartphones -- the kind that make a Desire C look precious -- you'll have to look elsewhere. In a chat with the Wall Street Journal, CEO Peter Chou has drawn a line in the sand that will keep his company building mid-range and high-end smartphones like the One S for the time being. The kind of material compromises needed to hit those bottom-range prices would sully HTC's good name, he says. Not that Chou has reason to be worried. Shipments in mainland China, where a sub-¥1,000 ($158) price helps companies like ZTE, are expected to triple in 2012 and just might prove HTC right. That's still a considerable gamble given that it's having trouble keeping its high-end phones in stores for reasons other than sheer demand.
HTC chief Peter Chou to run Olympic torch relay, invade hostile territory
The Summer Olympics in London are quickly turning into mobile-themed games: along with Samsung's official role in handling mobile payments, HTC is now stepping up with its own, if modest, contribution to the athletic get-together. CEO Peter Chou will be one of the Olympic torchbearers and carry the flame on July 6th, three weeks before the opening ceremony in Stratford. Officials say the torch run is to honor Chou's contribution to the mobile industry and the benefit he represents to Taiwan, although we can imagine that Chou wouldn't mind crashing a Samsung party with a torch in one hand and a One X in the other. He may just want to steer clear of Samsung's Mobile Pin stores while he's at it.
HTC talks smartphone design: from inception to final product
At the Frequencies media summit in Seattle over the last two days, HTC walked us through the fine details on how its smartphones are developed, going from the boring rectangular ABS block to the more refined plastic mockups that are presented to carriers and focus groups -- the findings of which then shape the final product. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take photos of the One X mockups that were shown to us, but do read on to learn the general process of how an HTC phone goes from inception to the final product.
Live from the HTC press conference at MWC 2012!
Are you endeavoring to see the latest and greatest out of Taiwan? So are we, and we have a couple seats to watch Peter Chou excite us with some fancy new stuff on stage. That doesn't mean, however, that you won't be able to come along for the ride. Our liveblog of HTC's Mobile World Congress press conference is about to begin, so keep your eyes locked here! February 26, 2012 2:30 PM EST
Beats Electronics' Jimmy Iovine: 'we have got to get to the phone'
The HTC teleconference announcing its $300 million partnership with Beats Electronics just wrapped, and we were able to grab a few tidbits that weren't so clearly evident in last night's press release. The largest questions HTC CEO Peter Chou and Beats head honcho Jimmy Iovine fielded were focused on the effects of the purchase and why it happened. Neither Chou nor Iovine shared many specifics, but we learned that the two companies will be deeply committed in a "special" and "exclusive" relationship, which Iovine referred to as a "marriage." In discussing the possible deal, he mentioned that Beats felt a need of urgency to penetrate the mobile marketplace and were bent on making it happen with HTC: "we have GOT to get to the phone...this marriage expedites that process." Computer and phone companies alike are realizing that they need to upgrade the (currently subpar) audio experience in their products, he said, and we should expect to see many of these businesses launching stellar improvements in sound quality over the next three months. In answer to what HTC is looking for in terms of ROI, Chou discussed the desire to have more differentiation in the market, in terms of the branding and technology the purchase will bring to its products; he also told us that the investment will generate several hundred millions of dollars in return beginning later this year. Rather than solely focusing on headsets, HTC plans to integrate the Beats tech completely into the product portfolio. Exactly how extensive that consolidation will be remains a mystery for now; since the effects of this deal will come to fruition sometime this fall, however, we doubt we'll have to wait terribly long to find out.
