HTC Manages Small Profit In Q3
HTC is doing everything it can to stay afloat these days. Its Q3 2012 revenue was $2.4 billion — a nice number, granted — but nowhere close to Samsung’s $40+ billion quarter. And while it’s still making a profit, the $133 million takeaway is down 80% from the same time last year.
From the outside, it would seem that everything is going right for the Taiwanese company. In February it announced its best lineup ever, and created a brand out of thin air that has endured in the minds of tech writers and consumers. Its One series included the gorgeous One X, the thin-and-light One S, and the endearing One V. But shortly after the phones’ launches, Samsung brought out its Galaxy S III, which seemed to overshadow all the good will and excitement from HTC’s launch.
HTC is back this fall with two Windows Phone 8 devices, the 8X and 8S — on multiple carriers — and a refreshed One X, which is coming to TELUS. But its guidance for Q4 warns of further revenue drops and smaller margins. Its current cash-on-hand situation is getting worrying, too, as the company has halved its liquid assets in the past year. The next step for the already-small handset maker will likely be layoffs if it can’t manage to lift sales in the coming months.
