HTC has set itself the goal of becoming one of the top five mobile handset manufacturers in the world. The goal was set by none other than Peter Chou, HTC’s CEO. He did not reveal a deadline to achieve this but it will be a steep road no matter how quickly HTC strives to achieve this. Motorola, currently the third ranked vendor, is expected to ship about 100 million handsets in 2008. Similarly, Sony Ericsson, ranked fifth, is expected to ship between 90 and 100 million mobile phones. In comparison, HTC expects to ship 15 million handsets in 2008.
While its competitors ship many cheaper models with less functionality, HTC has focused on higher cost and functionality devices. Is HTC looking to move into that market or does it expect that demand for smartphones will grow enough to help it achieve its goal?
HTC began as an ODM back in 1997. It was only in June 2006 that it announced that it would sell products under its own brand.