HTC replacing RIM as No. 4 Smartphone Maker

HTC to displace RIM as No. 4 smartphone vendor

HTC is set to slide into the No. 4 spot on the list of the world�s top smartphone vendors next year according to Taiwan-based research firm Market Intelligence Center. The slot is currently held by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Headquartered outside Taiwan�s capital, HTC has quietly built a smartphone empire as well as one of the highest market caps of any tech company on the Taiwan exchange. HTC builds some of the most popular Android smartphones in the world, and the company reported profits of NT$14.83 billion in the first quarter of 2011 � triple the profit it recorded in the same quarter one year prior. HTC also shipped 9.7 million smartphones in the first quarter, which represents a 192% improvement over the first quarter of 2010. Market Intelligence Center estimates that global smartphone shipments will reach 452 million units this year, and 1.084 billion units in 2015.

Damn.... This is really unexpected to me.

HTC is huge - they and HTC Sense are probably one of the major reasons why Android has been as successful as it is.

I spent a lot of my time with my SGS wishing it had and trying to replicate Sense functions. It's probably a big reason Launcher Pro is so popular, for those Sense widgets.

I think DeRusert said HTC used to be UTStarcom - so their cellular pedigree is proven.

What did RIM think would happen when they haven't released a new phone for a year?

EDIT

I had some hands on yesterday with the Sensation (we got our stock in prepping for the release on the 10th). That phone is one gorgeous piece of hardware.

Huh? This is a prediction for next year, Rim shipped 13 millions, HTC 9 million. Anything can happen till then

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

This may not happen if new BlackBerry phones that are supposed to come out this year actually get released and go on sale. Well, assuming that they are as good as everyone seems to be describing them.

Wow, look at their quarterly profits compared to RIM.

Not at all surprising though, RIM hasn't released a new phone in a over a year, and the new Bold will already be outdated by the time it comes out.

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleHokie

Wow, look at their quarterly profits compared to RIM.

Not at all surprising though, RIM hasn't released a new phone in a over a year, and the new Bold will already be outdated by the time it comes out.

BB has never competed specs for spec against other platforms. Not to mention they don't necessarily have to. Android manufacturers have to one-up the other manufacturers, hence the spec war.

Originally Posted by papped

BB has never competed specs for spec against other platforms. Not to mention they don't necessarily have to. Android manufacturers have to one-up the other manufacturers, hence the spec war.

That is the sole reason they are under chaos right now. Also, the very reason the os7 phones are delayed because the carriers had enough of their measly upgrades and forced them to upgrade their processors. They do not feel the need to push the industry and let apple and Google push the envelope.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by darkmanx2g

That is the sole reason they are under chaos right now. Also, the very reason the os7 phones are delayed because the carriers had enough of their measly upgrades and forced them to upgrade their processors. They do not feel the need to push the industry and let apple and Google push the envelope.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

If this was true then the new curve models would not even be released, yet they will be.

Unless you consider going up to 800mhz a "large" processor upgrade...

Also if you have carrier information that proves that carriers are the ones forcing the processor upgrades I would have to wonder why you haven't shared your unreleased source with all the various tech blogs and nobody else has seen it...

Considering carriers constantly sell devices at different spec ranges (android included)...

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleHokie

Wow, look at their quarterly profits compared to RIM.

Not at all surprising though, RIM hasn't released a new phone in a over a year, and the new Bold will already be outdated by the time it comes out.

you know that RIM makes twice as much profit as HTC right? also with outdated models RIM even out sold Apple 3 quarters last year. Also they have better overall margins even compared to apple 45% vs 35%, the game just began, Moto which was riding high on intial android success but not any more, htc is another acer of smartphones who eventually will see their margins noosedive because of cut throat compitetion among android vendors. 2011 models will give a RIM a huge boost

Originally Posted by papped

BB has never competed specs for spec against other platforms. Not to mention they don't necessarily have to. Android manufacturers have to one-up the other manufacturers, hence the spec war.

Lol ... They don't have to? I laughed and spilled my coffee when i read that.

Thank God my HTC "super phone," as blackberry will call them, didn't get splashed.

HTC just calls them phones lol

Sent from my DINC2 using tapatalk

Originally Posted by sf49ers

you know that RIM makes twice as much profit as HTC right?

Not anymore. Last quarter HTC reported $511 million (current quarter is pending). RIM's last report was less than $700 million.

Originally Posted by sf49ers

also with outdated models RIM even out sold Apple 3 quarters last year. Also they have better overall margins even compared to apple 45% vs 35%

The iPhone alone made $3 billion in profit last quarter, so you're not going to get anywhere comparing RIM and Apple financials. But even if your numbers are legit, I'll take 35% of the iPhone ASP of $625 ($219) over 45% of RIM's $279 ASP ($126) any day.

Originally Posted by bigtime2

This may not happen if new BlackBerry phones that are supposed to come out this year actually get released and go on sale. Well, assuming that they are as good as everyone seems to be describing them.

They are good enough to keep many bb users. But from what I see it won't take any droid or iphone users back. Or not many I should say

Originally Posted by Economist101

Not anymore. Last quarter HTC reported $511 million (current quarter is pending). RIM's last report was less than $700 million.



The iPhone alone made $3 billion in profit last quarter, so you're not going to get anywhere comparing RIM and Apple financials. But even if your numbers are legit, I'll take 35% of the iPhone ASP of $625 ($219) over 45% of RIM's $279 ASP ($126) any day.

profits took a hit because of delays but is not the usual case, iphone margins are number 1 and no question abt that, i am taking abt overall company margins that means bb sales of hardware/services vs apple everything. just i made the point to reiterate that apple is not the only one to have enviable margins but rimm has it too

People still don't get this, but it actually takes phones to be in a store for people to buy them. HTC phones are in the store... RIM phones are not... yet. This doesn't surprise me at all.
Hopefully it will all change real soon.

I hope you guys do realize the more profits a company makes the more we were overcharged for our smartphones. The real looser is the consumer.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleHokie

Wow, look at their quarterly profits compared to RIM.

Not at all surprising though, RIM hasn't released a new phone in a over a year, and the new Bold will already be outdated by the time it comes out.

You do realise that isn't american dollars don't you? Their wow profits are $500m compared with Rim's $700m from their terrible last quarter. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by sf49ers

Moto which was riding high on intial android success but not any more, htc is another acer of smartphones who eventually will see their margins noosedive because of cut throat compitetion among android vendors.

Somebody like ZTE is going to be the big issue for anyone like HTC that is currently able to charge a premum for their higher spec models, in many countries they are following a similar route that HTC themselves took by selling carrier-branded models while gradually increasing the awareness of their own brand, the crucial difference is that they are doing it faster, on a larger scale and with tighter margins.

Originally Posted by Economist101

Not anymore. Last quarter HTC reported $511 million (current quarter is pending). RIM's last report was less than $700 million.



The iPhone alone made $3 billion in profit last quarter, so you're not going to get anywhere comparing RIM and Apple financials. But even if your numbers are legit, I'll take 35% of the iPhone ASP of $625 ($219) over 45% of RIM's $279 ASP ($126) any day.

Well it wasn't twice as much profit, it was only 189 million more and that is with no new phones to sell and no one that is in the know wants the phones they have out now knowing something better is coming soon.

I'll give you apple.