HTC is stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what it does, its failures always seem to outweigh its successes. Its profits continue to decline, offset only mildly by the success of the HTC One, and there are even rumors of a potential merger with Lenovo. But wait – could Amazon be the missing link that HTC needs to finally turn itself around?
If we are to believe the most recent mumblings about HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer might be working with Amazon on the rumored upcoming Amazon phone. In fact, it might actually be working on three different Amazon phones! According to these reports, HTC is already in an “advanced stage of development” on one Amazon phone, with two more in the pipeline. There are no other details about these devices, except that Amazon is now aiming for a release in 2014. According to previous rumors, one of these devices might even be a holographic 3D device, like the HTC EVO 3D.
If HTC is able to pull this off – and that’s a big if – this might finally be its saving grace. Think about it:
- Amazon is wildly successful with its line of Kindle eReaders and Kindle Fire tablets. It has created a growing market for Amazon products and services, and people who are familiar with Amazon’s previous hardware offerings might love a similar experience on a phone.
- There are no Android smartphones that offer access to Amazon’s Instant Video service. It’s only available on Kindle Fire tablets and iOS devices. Maybe this is why Amazon has refused to release the app to the Android masses.
- Google has proven that there is a growing market for low-cost, off-contract, unsubsidized phones. The Nexus 4 was so successful at launch that it crashed Google Play, so if Amazon wants to bypass the carriers completely, it actually has a fighting chance – as long as HTC can keep hardware prices down.
- Additionally, if Amazon gives HTC a small percentage of all app and media sales purchased through the phone, this could provide HTC with a nice, continuous stream of revenue.
- There are no current, mainstream 3D phones. If Amazon can pull this off on a level that far exceeds the experience that the EVO 3D provided, this could be a key differentiator for Amazon and HTC against the likes of Samsung and Apple. Also, HTC already has the 3D experience – hopefully it learned from its previous blunders.
What do you think? Would you like to see HTC make an Amazon phone?
[Andrioid and Me]
