HTC Corp (宏達電) aims to return to its place as one of Taiwan’s top three smartphone vendors next quarter and to introduce more commercial virtual-reality (VR) solutions to expand its domestic business, a company executive said yesterday.
“We are adjusting our pricing strategy and product portfolio to secure the title of ‘top three’ smartphone vendor in the home market again,” HTC general manager and senior marketing officer Darren Chen (陳柏諭) told a news conference.
HTC ranked fourth in terms of total smartphone shipments and revenue in Taiwan last year, but the gap between HTC and third-placed Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) is narrowing, Chen said.
Apple Inc was the largest smartphone vendor in Taiwan with a market share of 22.95 percent, ahead of Samsung Electronics Co’s 20.68 percent and Asustek’s 12.7 percent, according to statistics released by local tech site ePrice.com on Feb. 21. HTC’s market share was 9.09 percent, the data showed.
HTC does not plan to price handsets at more than NT$20,000 (US$683.50), as Apple and Samsung have secured the high-end market, Chen said.
HTC’s most popular products in Taiwan are priced between NT$5,000 and NT$20,000, and the company plans to introduce five or six models in this segment, he said.
Chen declined to confirm market speculation that the firm is to unveil its next-generation models of the HTC U series next month.
Aiming to raise its brand recognition and strengthen its connection with local consumers, HTC yesterday launched a music video in collaboration with its regional brand ambassador, the Taiwanese rock band Mayday (五月天).
The company also held a developer conference for VR and augmented-reality technologies at its headquarters in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店).
HTC launched its “HTC Vive classroom” in China, which offers a distance education platform, to a positive reception, Chen said.
HTC will increase efforts in building business-to-business solutions in Taiwan this year, such as distance learning, virtual firefighting training and driving simulations for automakers, he said.
HTC’s combined sales in the first two months of this year plunged 35.54 percent annually to NT$6.01 billion, a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Tuesday showed.
VALUABLE STOCK: The company closed at NT$1,005 a share, on demand for AI and HPC chips, and is expected to issue a positive report during its earnings conference Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) shares rose 2.66 percent to close at a record high of NT$1,005 yesterday. as investors expect the company to continue benefiting from strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) chips. TSMC is the 19th member of the local bourse’s NT$1,000 stock club, which includes smartphone chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) and electric transformer manufacturer Fortune Electric Co (華城電機). Yesterday’s rally swelled TSMC’s market capitalization to NT$26.06 trillion (US$802.3 billion) and contributed about 211 points to the TAIEX, which closed up 350.1 points, or 1.51 percent, to 23,522.53, another record high, Taiwan Stock
Luxgen Motor Co (納智捷汽車), a subsidiary of Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車), yesterday said it is again offering a NT$100,000 discount for its entry-level n7 electric vehicle models. The n7’s price has gone down from NT$1.099 million to NT$999,000, Luxgen said, adding that there are 25,000 preorders for the model. MG Motor’s electric hatchback, the MG4, entered the market in the middle of last month, with a starting price of NT$990,000. China Motor Corp (中華汽車), which distributes MG vehicles in Taiwan, said it aims to sell 1,600 MG4s this year. MG, originally a British brand, was acquired by China’s SAIC Motor
South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc, the world’s No. 2 memorychip maker, is to invest 103 trillion won (US$74.6 billion) through 2028 to strengthen its chips business, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), its parent SK Group said yesterday. SK Group also said it plans to secure 80 trillion won by 2026 to invest in AI and semiconductors as well as fund shareholder returns, while streamlining its more than 175 subsidiaries. The sprawling conglomerate outlined the plans following a two-day strategy meeting, aiming to revive the group after SK Hynix, its main money maker, and the group’s electric vehicle battery arm suffered heavy losses. SK
Google on Monday said it is planning to invest in New Green Power Co (NGP, 永鑫能源), a solar energy developer owned by BlackRock Inc, to build 1 gigawatt of solar capacity in Taiwan to supply clean energy for its local data center and offices. “Our investment in NGP, subject to regulatory approval, will serve as development capital toward its 1 GW pipeline of new solar projects, catalyzing critical equity and debt financing for those projects,” Google’s Data Center Energy global head Amanda Peterson Corio wrote on a company blog. It did not disclose financial details. “We expect to procure up to 300 megawatts