HTC facts for kids
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Headquarters in Xindian, New Taipei City, Taiwan
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| Traded as | TWSE: 2498 |
| Industry | Telecommunications equipment |
| Founded | 15 May 1997 |
| Headquarters |
Xindian, New Taipei
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Smartphones, VR headsets, Laptop |
HTC Corporation (also known as High Tech Computer Corporation, or simply HTC) is a company from Taiwan. It makes electronics for people to use. HTC started in 1997 by making laptop computers for other companies.
At first, HTC made smartphones using Windows Mobile. Later, they helped create the Android operating system. The HTC Dream was the very first phone to use Android.
HTC was very successful with smartphones for a while. In 2011, it was the biggest smartphone seller in the U.S. But then, other companies like Samsung and Apple became very popular. This made HTC's share of the market much smaller.
Since 2016, HTC has started making other things besides phones. They teamed up with Valve to create a virtual reality system called HTC Vive. In 2017, HTC sold part of its phone design team and some of its ideas to Google for a lot of money.
Contents
History
Cher Wang and H. T. Cho started HTC in 1997. At first, they made notebook computers. By 1998, HTC began designing some of the world's first touch and wireless hand-held devices.
From 2004, HTC made Windows Mobile PDAs and smartphones. These were sold under the name Qtek. In 2006, they changed the brand name to HTC.
In 2007, HTC bought another mobile device company called Dopod International. A year later, in 2008, HTC showed off the HTC Max 4G. This was the first phone to work on WiMAX networks.
HTC joined Google's Open Handset Alliance. In 2008, they released the HTC Dream. This was the first device to run on Android.
In 2009, HTC launched its new slogan, "quietly brilliant." They also started their first worldwide ad campaign called "YOU." Later that year, HTC released the HTC HD2. This was the first Windows Mobile device with a Touchscreen. Also in 2009, HTC Sense was introduced. This is a special user interface for HTC phones.
In 2010, HTC started selling its phones in China with China Mobile. The HTC HD7 was also released as one of the first phones for Windows Phone. In 2010, HTC sold over 24.6 million phones. This was more than double the number from 2009.
At the Mobile World Congress in 2011, HTC was named "Device Manufacturer of the Year." By April 2011, HTC became the third-largest smartphone maker. They were behind Apple and Samsung.
In 2011, HTC bought parts of other companies. They bought a share in S3 Graphics and also bought Dashwire. In August 2011, HTC also bought 51 percent of Beats Electronics.
In 2011, HTC was listed as one of the top 100 global brands. It was valued at $3.6 billion. In late 2011, HTC became the biggest smartphone seller in the U.S. They had 24 percent of the market.
In early 2012, HTC lost some of its market share in the U.S. This was because of more competition from Apple and Samsung. By 2013, HTC had only 9.3% of the U.S. smartphone market.
In 2013, HTC released the HTC One (M7). This phone won many awards for being a great smartphone with a good design. However, it did not sell as well as Samsung's Samsung Galaxy S4. HTC had its first financial loss in October 2013.
In August 2013, HTC started a new global ad campaign. It featured actor Robert Downey Jr.. In September 2013, HTC sold back its share in Beats Electronics.
HTC released two more phones in 2013. The HTC One Mini was a smaller version. The HTC One Max was a larger version with a bigger screen and a fingerprint sensor.
In March 2014, HTC released the HTC One (M8). This was the next main HTC One phone. It was available for sale on the same day it was announced.
In April 2014, HTC's sales grew by 12.7 percent. This was their fastest growth since 2011. In September 2014, Google chose HTC to make its Nexus 9 tablet. HTC also made a Windows Phone version of the One (M8). After this, HTC stopped making Windows Phone devices and focused only on Android.
On March 1, 2015, HTC showed off Vive. This is a virtual reality head-mounted display made with Valve. In 2015, HTC started losing money again. This was due to strong competition from other phone makers.
In November 2016, HTC reported that it had sold at least 140,000 Vive units. Each unit was sold for a profit. In January 2017, HTC introduced its new U series smartphones. These phones focused on a new virtual assistant made by HTC.
On September 21, 2017, Google announced it would buy about half of HTC's design and research staff. Google also got rights to some of HTC's smartphone ideas. This deal was worth US$1.1 billion. The employees included the team that worked on Google's Google Pixel phone. This deal was completed in January 2018. HTC still makes its own smartphones, but it plans to focus more on Internet of Things and virtual reality.
In July 2018, HTC partnered with Animoca Brands. This partnership is for making games and apps. It also includes working on blockchain, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Animoca's games will be on HTC devices in the future.
In 2019, HTC released its first "Cryptophone." This phone focuses on using Bitcoin and creating a more decentralized web. In May 2019, HTC announced this phone would be the first to support a bitcoin full node.
In September 2019, Yves Maitre became the new CEO of HTC. Cher Wang continued as chairwoman. In September 2020, Yves Maitre stepped down. Co-founder Cher Wang became the CEO again.
Litigation
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In March 2010, Apple Inc. said that HTC was using some of its patented ideas. These ideas were about the iPhone's user interface and hardware. HTC said they disagreed with Apple. They said they were committed to making new and creative smartphones. HTC also said that Apple was using some of its patents.
In November 2012, Apple and HTC made an agreement. They agreed to share patents for 10 years. The details of this agreement were kept private.
Corporate information
HTC's chairwoman and CEO is Cher Wang. She is the daughter of Wang Yung-ching, who started the Formosa Plastics Group. Peter Chou leads the HTC Future Development Lab. HT Cho is a Director of the Board and Chairman of the HTC Foundation.
HTC invests a lot in research and development. About a quarter of its employees work in this area. HTC has a software design office in Seattle. Here, they design their own interface for their phones. In 2011, HTC also opened a research and development office in Durham, North Carolina. This office focuses on different areas of wireless technology.
In 2010, HTC worked with Google to build phones that run on Google's Android mobile operating system. One example is the Nexus One.
In 2010, Fast Company magazine ranked HTC as the 31st most innovative company in the world. In 2011, HTC announced that they would no longer lock the bootloaders on their Android phones. This was in response to feedback from customers.
Sports sponsorship
HTC has sponsored various sports teams and events.
Cycling
HTC sponsored the HTC-Highroad professional cycling team from 2009 to 2011.
Association football
In 2012, HTC became the official smartphone sponsor for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. HTC also sponsored the jerseys for the Indian Super League team NorthEast United FC from 2014 to 2016.
Cricket
Before the 2015 Indian Premier League season, HTC sponsored the Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab. HTC's logo was on the team's playing jersey.
eSports
HTC sponsors several professional eSports teams. These include FaZe Clan, Team SoloMid, Cloud9, Team Liquid, and J Team.
HTC also sponsored a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament called HTC Throwdown in 2015. They also sponsored the SSBMRank, which ranks the best Melee players each year.
See also
- List of companies of Taiwan
- Comparison of HTC devices
- HTC Sense
- HTC Vive
- IHTC
- TouchFLO
- TouchFLO 3D
