HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday said that it will not sell its new 8S smartphone running Microsoft Corp’s Windows Phone 8 operating system in the US in the near term in a bid to focus on high-end sales.
“The Windows Phone 8X by HTC is our signature Windows Phone available at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless in the US,” HTC said in a statement.
“Our focus is on the Windows Phone 8X, so the Windows Phone 8S is not currently planned for distribution in the US market,” the Taoyuan-based firm said.
The statement came after HTC neglected to offer further details on pricing and availability of the 8S phone in the US since its launch more than two months ago.
The company unveiled two Windows Phone 8 smartphones on Sept. 19 in New York. The HTC 8X and the HTC 8S feature Beats Audio technology and improved camera capabilities.
The 4.3-inch HTC 8X is equipped with a 1.5 Gigahertz (GHz) dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera and supports 4G LTE super-fast wireless connectivity in selected countries.
The 4-inch HTC 8S, with a 1GHz dual-core processor, targets the mid to low-end market, HTC said.
Fubon Securities Co (富邦證券) forecast Windows-powered smartphones will account for 11.9 percent of HTC’s total shipments this year, much lower than the 87 percent estimated for HTC products running Google Inc’s Android system.
HTC shares closed up 0.19 percent at NT$266.5 yesterday. Fubon raised its target price on the stock to NT$310 from NT$270.
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