Cher Wang
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HTC CEO Yves Maitre resigns after less than a year
HTC President and CEO Yves Maitre has resigned due to personal reasons, and chairwoman Cher Wang is back in charge.
E-Scooters with swappable batteries will land in Taipei this summer
Scooters don't normally generate much buzz without some kind of gimmick -- unless they're, say, connected to a well-known company and feature a crazy business model. The all-electric Gogoro Smartscooter fits that description perfectly, as it was created by former HTC executives and relies on a network of swappable batteries. After debuting just a few months ago at CES, it will launch commercially this summer in greater Tapei following a pilot program. The centerpiece is the Gogoro Experience Center, a retail outlet that'll show off the Smartscooter EV's design and options. It'll also teach consumers about the GoStation, a removable battery vending machine that's part of the company's Gogoro Energy Network.
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.
WSJ: HTC working on China-specific mobile OS
Cracking the Chinese mobile-nut is kind of a big deal if you're in the business of selling phones. So, rumors that HTC could be looking to increase the bottom line with a China-specific mobile OS won't see too many eyebrows heading north. The Wall Street Journal claims that Cher Wang herself is closely overseeing the project and is working directly with the state authorities to see it meets approval. This might suggest that the operating system would be entirely bespoke, rather than an Android fork, which would also provide HTC with a plan B, similar to Samsung's efforts with Tizen. The OS is believed to be tightly integrated with China specific services (Weibo etc) and could see the light of day before the end of the year. So is it actually Hello To China?
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.
Cher Wang: HTC will grab as many patents as it can
HTC co-founder and chair Cher Wang has said that her company plans to register and buy a host of patents in order to maintain parity with its competition. Speaking at the firm's 15th anniversary party, she said that despite being unable to use S3 Graphics' patents in ongoing litigation, the company will register and purchase patents in a variety of "different fields." It looks like we can expect to see a lot more filings at the USPTO in the future, and perhaps a few more buyouts along the way. [Image Credit: WSJ / Zuma Press]
HTC chairwoman Cher Wang: we might buy a mobile OS, if it feels right
Samsung seems to be the go-to company these days when it comes to mobile OS acquisition rumors, but now it looks like HTC's on the proverbial hot seat. According to an interview by The Economic Observer in China, chairwoman Cher Wang has affirmed that HTC is at least mulling the idea: "We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse." The report goes on to make strong mention of HP's recently-backstabbed webOS platform, but stops short of suggesting that it's the only OS in the running. Continuing on, Wang stated: "We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS." Of course, that's a cheerleading session surrounding the outfit's polarizing Sense overlay, and we're guessing that webOS would eventually look a heck of lot different under HTC's control. On second thought, maybe Wang's actually trying to acquire iOS -- she sure seems to love those Apple stores!
Caption Contest: HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang drops by Apple's Palo Alto Store
So what if Apple might be suing your company for millions and billions of dollars? You're Cher Wang and Cher Wang shops wherever she damn well pleases. HTC's co-founder and Chairwoman was recently photographed taking a leisurely gander at Apple's wares, with husband Wen-Chi Chen -- who just happens to be CEO of VIA Technologies -- tagging along as well. The Palo Alto Geniuses look to have been their usual friendly selves, though their failure to put an iPhone in Mrs. Wang's hands qualifies as a major missed opportunity in our eyes. Thomas: "In Taiwan, iPhone means horse." Josh F.: "Go ahead, cuff me if you can." Dana: "A stylus! You know. You hold it like this." Vlad: "Cher Wang thought impersonating a zombie would help her blend in with the Apple Store patrons. As we can tell from the unperturbed employees, she was right." Brad: "If you can guess which hand the candy's in, you win!" Terrence: "...and this is my trusty servant Patsy." Amar: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wang, we're all out of dirtbikes."
HTC buyout of Dopod in final stages: i-mate, O2, HP wail
Continuing their skyrocket beyond ODM-dom, HTC's buyout bid for Taiwanese Dopod has moved into the final stages. Having signed a memorandum of understanding, the only thing left in the estimated $150 million deal is approval from the Taiwanese government. Assuming HTC chairwoman and Dopod controlling shareholder Cher Wang, daughter of petrochemicals billionaire Y.C. Wang and wife of HTC boss-man Peter Chou VIA boss-man Wen Chi Chen has enough influence to push this through (read: she does), then HTC is about to find themselves in direct competition with their own customers O2, i-mate and HP. HTC already confirmed their decision to self-brand phones in Europe, now the Dopod deal could result in HTC designs being sold exclusively under the Dopod branding outside of Europe. In fact, HTC has already cut ties with both O2 and i-mate in Australia, New Zealand, and India. So if Dopod's claim that HTC manufactures 80 percent of Windows Mobile phones is true, well, O2, i-mate, and HP best be looking for fresh design and manufacturing blood on the quick. [Thanks, Ash]
