HTC was among the first to confirm its Android 4.4 KitKat update plans when the latest version of Android was announced in late October. It promised to have both unlocked and North American carrier variants of the HTC One upgraded within 90 days. It later further specified that it would roll out by “by the end of January.” HTC yesterday unfortunately announced that it will not meet its self-imposed deadline.
If there is a silver lining, it is that HTC does not expect to miss it “by much” and expects it to roll out within a few weeks. The update is currently undergoing certification with all of the carrier partners in North America – Something that was first confirmed last week.
Here is the full letter from HTC Americas President Jason Mackenzie announcing the delay:
Team HTC One,
We’ve always been inspired by our customers, and because of our legacy as a pioneer of smartphones, we are fortunate to have the most technology-savvy, discerning, and passionate customers in the industry. While we continue to be a leader in Android innovation and having done ‘ok’ with software updates, we recognize that ‘ok’ is not good enough.
Starting with Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) last year, we set out to be a leader in delivering the latest software and were successful in quickly rolling out Jelly Bean for the HTC One. With the release of Android 4.4 (KitKat), we embarked on a mission to push KitKat to our HTC One customers across the US and Canada within 90 days of Google’s official release of the software.
Additionally, we felt it was important to be as transparent with you as possible, which is why we launched the Software Update page to let you know how the process works, and to keep you up-to-date with our progress. We’re excited by the conversation this has generated in the HTC community.
As we approach the 90-day mark, we are getting closer to delivering KitKat and the finish line is becoming more clear. We are currently in the certification phase across all of our carrier partners in North America, and they share our enthusiasm for getting this software in your hands. That said, the software development process does not always follow a linear path and we know today that we will miss our self-imposed target. The good news is that we won’t miss by much as, it shouldn’t be more than one to two weeks to complete each of the carrier versions of the HTC One.
The challenge we gave our teams, in cooperation with our carrier partners, has taught us a lot that will allow us to improve on our upgrade delivery in the future. We remain resolved to provide timely updates and to be transparent about the process and status of our efforts. Supporting our customers is a major priority for us and we thank you for your support of HTC!
Jason Mackenzie
President, HTC AmericasGo Seahawks!
Here’s hoping that HTC can get its update out shortly! Unfortunately, HTC is not providing a very specific updated timeline this time around.
Source : HTC