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Former HTC CEO Peter Chou reveals his next project: a social 5G VR headset
XRSpace’s Mova is a hugely ambitious VR headset, at a time when the sector has struggled to truly breakthrough to the mainstream. The result is a new VR headset aimed at regular consumers with intuitiveness and a social-first approach.
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.
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 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.
HTC explains official bootloader unlock process, asks you to sign away your warranty
You didn't think HTC was just going let you run wild with an unlocked bootloader and not require some sort of trade-off, did you? Of course not, that's why CEO Peter Chou updated the firm's Facebook page to spill the beans on the devil's deal. Yes, you'll be given the freedom to unlock your bootloader, but only after you accept a disclaimer notifying you that "all or parts" of your warranty may be null and void. After that it's all SDKs, device identifier tokens and unlock keys. It may be a little disappointing to discover that the official unlock procedure lacks complete support, but nobody ever said that freedom was without its risks. Chou reiterated that updates for the HTC Sensation and HTC EVO 3D will come later this month, making them the first devices eligible to lose their warranty use the unlock tool. Hit the source link below to see Chou explain the process on HTC's Facebook page.
HTC CEO Peter Chou on Microsoft / Nokia partnership: 'it'll make the ecosystem stronger'
Here's a nugget to chew on as you roll out of bed this morning. During "The Power of Applications" keynote today at Mobile World Congress, HTC CEO Peter Chou was just asked what his take was on the Microsoft / Nokia partnership. Of course, we've heard before that the company loves Android and WP7 equally, and it was certainly onboard from the get-to with the launch of the 7 Mozart, but it's not often that one handset manufacturer comments on another. Contrary to popular belief, Peter seemed fairly positive on the deal, though he made sure to focus more on the software side rather than touching on Elop's decision making skills. Here's the quote in full: "They're doing what they have to do. It won't be easy, but they're doing what they have to do. We are very committed to Windows Mobile, and we are one of their lead partners for Windows Phone 7. So we are positive, because this combination will surely make that ecosystem stronger. As a strong player [in this ecosystem], HTC will be a beneficiary from [their decision]." In other words, HTC's pumped that WP7 now has more backing, which will in turn (hopefully) make its own Windows Phone 7 devices more marketable, attractive and desirable as the ecosystem grows stronger. Talk about looking on the bright side of things.
HTC profits leaping and bounding up, Peter Chou promises tablet and production expansion
HTC's fourth quarter of 2010 has gone exactly the same way as the first three: the company reports a 160 percent rise in profits (to $500 million) year-on-year and a 31 percent increase relative to Q3 2010. Total revenue for the final three months of last year rounded the $3.5 billion mark, having been a trifling $1.4 billion the year before. Company CEO Peter Chou sees no end to this dramatic growth, forecasting it'll remain in double digits through 2011, and he plans to match up to it by doubling monthly production capacity at HTC's Shanghai plant to two million handsets. If necessary, he says he'll even outsource manufacturing. Even more intriguing, however, is Chou's admission that HTC is strategizing an entry into the tablet realm: "It's a new market with many competitors, and we don't want to rush into it." Hardly a surprise, but good to have it from the horse's mouth.
HTC's Peter Chou says LTE handsets are coming next year, and the world keeps on spinning
Stop us if you've heard this one before, but a very popular handset maker will be introducing smartphones that incorporate the latest wireless technology at some point in the upcoming year. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Now let's add the key words: HTC, LTE, and 2011. Here's CEO Peter Chou from a recent Mobile World Live video interview: Q: When does HTC plan to launch an LTE device, and which markets do you think will be the early adopters of that device? A: We are working on LTE device for next year, 2011, we think the US mobile operator will be taking some leading and pushing the LTE 4G in the US market, but however, we are seeing the rest of world will be deploying LTE network elsewhere in 2011. Could be second half of 2011. Our money's on the Mecha / Incredible HD for the US, along with probably a dozen other phones of various sizes and form factors. And we don't really know the details of its global plans. But hey, it happens -- call us when Chou spills the beans on 5G technology and holographic displays.
HTC loves Android and Windows Phone 7 equally
HTC's relationship with Microsoft is the stuff of daytime television. It was HTC's commitment to building high quality QWERTY handsets for Windows Mobile that first gave the young Taiwanese company the spotlight. HTC then shifted its allegiance to Android just as the green monster was on the rise (and WinMo in decline). So where are we today? Well, of the ten Windows Phone 7 handsets announced yesterday, half were from HTC. If that doesn't signal HTC's commitment to Redmond then maybe a quote will. Speaking at a press conference in Taipei yesterday, HTC CEO Peter Chou said, "Right now we have Windows Phone 7 and Android, and focus the same on each, but let the market decide." Peter then promised more WP7 handsets in 2011 without getting into specifics. So let's check in next year and see how things go, shall we?
HTC CEO: 'initially, we don't have time' to put Sense on Windows Phone 7
We think there might be a miscommunication or a disagreement in semantics here, because HTC CEO Peter Chou has mentioned in an interview with FierceWireless that its ubiquitous Sense UX won't "initially" appear on its first crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, but that "over time [they] will innovate on top of that to provide some HTC experience." That seems like odd phrasing considering that we've already seen HTC devices in the wild running bits and pieces of Sense on WP7, so we tend to believe Chou might have a more thorough, comprehensive experience in mind -- something that Microsoft is pushing back on (for now, anyway) by demanding that UI innovation be sandboxed in some pretty significant ways. In the same conversation, Chou mentioned that they'll be releasing an LTE phone in 2011, though he didn't give any details on design, platform, or carrier. MetroPCS, AT&T, and Verizon will all have fragments of their 4G networks live in 2011, and at least two of those three seem likely candidates to take delivery of some early LTE hardware from the big boys like HTC. For what it's worth, HTC already delivered the first WiMAX phone in the States -- the EVO 4G, of course -- so it comes as little surprise that they'd be looking to make a splash with LTE as well.
HTC's Peter Chou live from D8
Check back at 11:30AM PT -- or a little later, it looks like they're running a bit late.
Coming up live from D8: Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie, then Peter Chou from HTC
Hey humans -- listen up. We'll be liveblogging the next D8 session featuring Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie around 8:00AM PT (we'd like to give you more specific times, but they don't provide them). Then later on in the day, around 11:30AM PT, we'll hear from HTC head Peter Chou. You can check in to the Ballmer liveblog right here, and the Peter Chou liveblog will be right here. See you then!
HTC says its growth in the US is 'faster than others'
This one's fairly light on specifics, but HTC CEO Peter Chou has given an interview to The Wall Street Journal where he dropped a few interesting tidbits, the most notable being that HTC's growth in the US is apparently "faster than others." Exactly what that translates to in actual numbers is unclear, but Chou did say that HTC expects to ship more than the 5.5 million to 6 million smartphones it shipped in the US last year. That growth is apparently due in large part to support from Verizon and T-Mobile, which Chou says "started treating us as their first-tier suppliers last year" and gave the company some "strong momentum." Chou also went on to confirm that HTC will be introducing six new models for China in partnership with China Mobile this year, and that it's aiming to ship four to five million units to China annually by 2011.
