As reported on TechCrunch.
by CATHERINE SHU
HTC today posted their monthly revenue figures, covering March 2013, and it’s another sign of just how crucial it is for the company to hit a home run with either its new flagship HTC One handset, or the HTC First Facebook Home phone — and ideally both. The Taiwanese company reported sales in March 2013 of NT$15.88 billion (about $530 million USD).
The figures are definitely an improvement on last month when HTC hit a new low with sales figures of NTD$11.37 billion ($384 million USD). With overall numbers still 48% down compared to March 2012, however, the Taiwanese handset maker has a lot more work left to do.
The company also broke out its 1Q2013 earnings report today, posting its lowest quarterly profit ever due to the delay of the HTC One, its new flagship phone. Its first-quarter net income fell 98 percent to NT$85 million ($2.8 million USD), compared to the NT$600 million expected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. This is the sixth straight quarter of declines posted by HTC. Shipment of the HTC One, which was originally due by the end of last month, in key markets was hindered due to a shortage in crucial camera components.
As of February, HTC had a 9.3% share of U.S. smartphone subscribers, a 1.7% decrease from the previous quarter, according to Comscore data. Factors that may help the company rebound from its losing streak include the HTC One and the HTC First, the first device to come with Facebook Home pre-installed.
The HTC One is currently available for pre-order on AT&T and will ship on April 19, a timeframe that may give it a bit of an edge over Samsung’s Galaxy S4, which ships on April 26. The HTC One, which features an aluminum case, has already received upbeat reviews, and CEO Peter Chou has vowed to resign if the handset isn’t a success.
Despite the hype over Facebook Home, it’s still too early to tell if that partnership will give HTC an edge over rival smartphone makers. As Natasha Lomas notes, Facebook Home will soon beavailable to download to existing Android devices, so HTC’s edge over other hardware makers may rapidly erode. If so, that makes the HTC One’s sales performance even more crucial for a potential turnaround.