HTC, a sinking ship?

When the Taiwanese telephone company, HTC, launched its One smartphone line, in 2012, it was selling about 1 phone out of 10 world-wide.

Today, only 1 out of 45 cells sold globally is a HTC, as buyers prefer to buy from Apple or Samsung.

Since the third quarter of 2011, HTC Taiwan-listed shares have dropped by 77 percent.

In 2013, the company operated on a huge loss, declaring a $54 million for last year.

Now, in 2014, HTC reported a $62 million loss after the first quarter. That places them well below average, as analysts estimates.

Cher Wang, HTC co-founder, chairman and largest shareholder, carries the weight of these losses on her shoulders after she has taken control over day-to-day management which include marketing, operations, and customer service.

‘We just have to communicate well with our customers. I believe if we can communicate better we will do better,’ Wang optimistically declares.

With Apple and Samsung dominating about half of the global smartphone market, HTC finds itself forced to turn from high-end hardware to low-end, limiting its One line from nine phones at one point, to a single model.

Last year’s One model sold only about 5 million phones during the first two months after its release. The number isn’t putting a smile on anyone at HTC since Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S4s and the iPhone 5 hitting the 5 million mark in just three days after its release.

Although the 2014 One model, the M8, received great reviews for its good performance and sleek design, HTC haven’t released any sales figures yet.