Beleaguered smartphone maker HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday reported a year-on-year increase in revenue last month, snapping 13 months of decline, backed by strong demand for its mid-range phones, it said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
HTC reported revenue of NT$555 million (US$19.46 million), up 0.96 percent from a year earlier and 29.3 percent from October, the filing showed.
Despite the improvement, which it attributed to new mid-range handsets and successful online sales promotions, it was still the second-worst November revenue for the Android phone pioneer.
Revenue in the first 11 months of the year totaled NT$5.19 billion, down 44.81 percent from a year earlier.
While the company has shifted its focus to virtual-reality (VR) devices, it released two mid-range handsets that have been well received in the latter half of this year.
In September, it released the HTC U20, the first 5G phone made in Taiwan. Priced at NT$18,900, it is relatively affordable compared with other 5G models.
In October, it launched the 4G HTC Desire 20+. Priced at NT$8,940, it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720g processor, four cameras and a 5000mAh battery.
The company took advantage of the Double 11, or Singles’ Day, sales event to promote its smartphone and VR product bundles, which helped boost revenue last month.
HTC on Thursday announced the release of its true wireless earbuds.
Priced at NT$999, the earbuds come equipped with a 400mAh charging case, capable of holding 24 hours of charge.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The