A new Android strategy for HTC?

Posted by simon.ly on November 8, 2011 12:03 pm 16

 

Spurred on by Chris Ziegler's HTC Vivid review, where he held that 

"if you'd covered all the branding on the Vivid, I probably would've guessed it was an LG"

and by utilising The Verge's Product Database, it affirmed this thought in my mind: there are simply too many "high-end" HTC devices that are clouting the decision-making process of consumers.

As of right now, HTC has the following top-of-the-line cellphones that they are simultaneously pushing to consumers:

  1. Vivid
  2. Radar
  3. Sensation XL
  4. Sensation XE
  5. Amaze 4G
  6. Rezound
  7. EVO 3D
  8. Rhyme
  9. Incredible 2
  10. Desire S
(I've tried my best, but I may not have been able to find every single phone)

 

When consumers walk into a shop, generally they have a rough idea about what they will buy. One banana, chocolate, ham, cheese, bread... wait, wholemeal, white, rye, wheat, ah screw it, I'll just buy white, thats simple.

With HTC, I believe that they have this very same problem with their consumers. Walking into a store, a consumer may have a general idea that they want a HTC device running Android. However, which one they pick almost becomes a snap decision. And if they don't, then they run to competitors.

I have a friend who decided, after umming and ahing about which HTC device to purchase, to just grab an iPhone. Now, this friend of mine believes that Android is something "different" from a crowd of iPhone's and thus, he wanted one. Tech enthusiasts may argue that if that were the case, then he should of chosen one of the HTC devices. However, my friend is not a tech enthusiast and nor are the strong majority of cellphone consumers. My friend may believe that Android is a superior platform, but at what cost? At the moment, the cost is marginal and thus, jumping from Android to iOS is a much simpler decision for him than to jump between the 6 or 7 devices he could potentially pick from.

Memes-am-first-executive-decision-of-the-day_medium

via chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com


Apple has adopted a strong, identifiable consumer model of one phone in one year. Thus, the general public know what they want and the decision is almost taken out of their hands. Similarly, despite the many form sizes and additional names, Samsung has done an excellent job with their "Galaxy" line. Now whenever consumers think of Samsung, they think of Galaxy; Apple, they think of iPhone; HTC, they think of......

All of the HTC devices are top-of-the-line. They are great, in each of their own respects. But perhaps a new strategy may be to release one, perhaps two at most, identifiable cream of the crop devices. Every other phone that is produced should be recognised and portrayed by HTC to the public as lower-end and more easily accessible devices. That way, HTC maintains its position as a leading cellphone manufacturer, without having to forego revenue that low-end devices provide.

 

What do you guys think? Are too many options working against HTC? Or are the options what has made HTC the successful company it is today?