HTC sinks . The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer posted a quarterly loss for the first time in its history, its new flagship model, the HTC One , failing to recover sales.
The group posted a net loss of 2.97 billion Taiwan dollars (74.3 million euros) , against a net profit of 3.9 TWD the third quarter of 2012 and 1.25 TWD billion in the second quarter of 2013, he said Friday. sales fell 33% year on year to TWD 47.05 billion, well below the 50-60000000000 provided by the group.
"Basically, there are many problems to solve," said Laura Chen, analyst at BNP Paribas, adding that the company should improve its marketing strategy, the management of its supply chain and its products. "No sign of recovery in the near future."
HTC had previously indicated to expect a loss for the period from July to September, due to a decline in sales, while the costs of production and marketing for its latest model, the HTC One, they were on the rise . The HTC One, billed as "a breakthrough", has a touch screen of 4.7 inches, a smooth aluminum shell and front dual stereo speakers. It can also act as a remote control decoder box (STB TV).
Rumors of a takeover by Chinese
However, after falling in the first place, the HTC Action rebounded to post a gain of 2% on the day following a research note Fubon Securities raising the possibility that the company is close to a group Chinese , whose name was not given, through a cooperative agreement or a merger.
Like other smartphone manufacturers, including Nokia and BlackBerry, HTC does not have the critical mass against its major competitors like Apple and Samsung and its difficulties are getting worse this year, resulting in a fall of 55% its share price.
In addition to the departure of leaders and infighting, the group is facing, according to sources, to supply problems in the manufacture of its HTC One Mini.
The share of the global smartphone market occupied by HTC is heavily settled, 10.3% in the third quarter of 2011 to 2.6% last quarter, according to research firm Gartner. HTC does and most of the ten largest sellers of smartphones, according to data from another consulting firm ABI Research. To boost sales, HTC plans to launch by the end of the year means end devices at cheaper prices, especially in China.
But analysts point out that the market is already highly competitive, with local companies such as Xiaomi offering much cheaper devices.
While selling devices under its own brand, the Taiwanese group subcontractor for several major groups. In particular, it provides for its Google Nexus One.
