HTC reportedly takes a cue from Samsung, will offer "Google Edition" HTC One - GigaOM

2 hours ago May. 24, 2013 – 11:07 PM PDT

With 5 million sales alreadycreated, the HTC One is on its way to help HTC reversed its downward sales and profits trend. Counting on a single product to Effectively save a company is a risky strategy though. Perhaps that’s why HTC is now planning a “Google Edition” version of the HTC One eventhough it Previously denied any Such Android device.

Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo reported the change in strategy on Friday, with multiple sources saying the phone would be announced next week. Like Samsung’s Galaxy 4 “Google Edition” Announced last week at Google I / O, the HTC One would lose HTC’s Sense software and run a plain, or stock version of Android. This would be akin to the Nexus 4 smartphone, Which Google sells Directly through Google Play.

According To O’Brian:

“It seems as though the very existence of the Google Edition device has created Considerable internal turmoil at HTC. There is a deep seated belief within the HTC Sense That Provides the best possible Android experience and there’s no reason to sacrifice anything different – unifying behind a consistent message. HTC has always been a company however That is driven from the top and It appears as though the new device has been sanctioned by none other than Peter Chou himself, no doubt influenced by arch-rival Samsung’s Recent announcement. “

It’s possible That turmoil is related to the Key Executives and Resources thathave left HTC as recently as this week, but thatcould be coincidental. There’s little, however, That HTC knows it needs to make major changes in product and vision if it wants to stay relevant in the Android marketplace.

A “Google Edition” HTC One could actually bring multiple benefits to help the situation. The current HTC One on sale now is an outstanding piece of hardware; possibly the best designed and built Android phone on the market today. But some have shied away from buying the phone Because of HTC’s Sense user interface. A “pure” HTC One with nothing but Android on it could generate option additional sales.

Another benefit could be found in marketing: an area where HTC greatly team its peers. A “Google Edition” phone would likely be sold Directly by Google in the Play store, meaning Google can help market the phone. It would overpriced remove carriers from the equation and give HTC a little more control over the phone, pricing and software updates.

Subscriber Content

?

Subscriber Content comes from GigaOM Pro, a revolutionary approach to market research without the high price tag. Visit any of our reports to subscribe.

The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro September 2011

What the Google-Motorola deal means for Android, Microsoft and the mobile industry August 2011