Google’s rumored acquisition of HTC could be true after all. At least, that is how things seem to be shaping out. The latest event that is being seen as a harbinger of the above scenario is HTC’s suspension of all trading of its shares at the Taiwanese Stock Exchange beginning tomorrow. This again is being seen as a sure-fire sign of something concrete taking shape on this.
Noted tipster Evan Blass too has chipped in with another piece of news which also confirms HTC could be changing hands shortly. Or at least, it is on the verge of undergoing a change that runs deep.
In a Tweet message, Blass claimed to have received a copy of an invitation to an HTC internal meeting involving its employees.
The meeting is being held at the Town Hall where Google’s planned acquisition of the company will likely be up for discussion.
That HTC has been faltering in the mobile segment is no secret, which can be seen as a fall out of the immense competition the segment is facing. This in spite of the fact that the Taiwanese firm at one time was one of the leading manufacturers creating hardware to make the most of the Android ecosystem.
HTC also used to be a formidable brand, commanding respect from friends and foe alike. It used to be a worthwhile challenger to Apple though it had to pass on that mantle to Samsung, the current king of Android handsets.
It is not that HTC has lost touch to churn out truly alluring smartphones – its latest flagship, the U11 has come in for a lot of praise – but it seems buyers aren’t interested in buying their stuff anymore.
HTC, however, seems to be doing rather well with its VR offering. Its Vive headsets have sold in sizeable numbers, and it will be really interesting to see if Google’s acquisition of the Taiwanese firm will also cover the VR division as well. One rumor doing the rounds here is that HTC might be allowed to deal with its VR segment independently, or with minimal intervention from Google.
Interestingly, Google too has lofty VR dreams and is rumored to be readying the launch of its next-gen headset, the Daydream View at its forthcoming Oct 4 event. The daydream View is touted to have better and more robust build quality compared to Google Cardboard along with more features but will still be priced at just $99.
