Kellen
Even with HTC producing Google’s Pixel phones and their Vive VR headset still acting as the darling of the virtual reality world (tough to say how long that will last), the company hasn’t performed well in recent years. Because of their failures to re-establish themselves as a market leader in smartphones, it’s no surprise that rumors pop-up here and there suggesting that the company (or parts of it) may be up for sale. And that sort of thing happened again over the weekend.
Reports out of China are indeed suggesting that HTC CEO Cher Wang has notified appropriate parties that her company’s mobile division is up for sale. These reports also claim that they are targeting mid-2017 for such happenings, but could announce something earlier in the year.
HTC has already “sternly” denied the rumors in numerous places. That shouldn’t surprise you, as that’s what companies almost always do when word sneaks out about the possibility of them giving up.
What’s the takeaway here? Nothing should be ruled out, is how I would look at this. You have to remember that companies can only struggle for so long and HTC has been struggling for years, not just months. They clearly haven’t been able to figure out a new path to success in mobile and think that their Vive VR business is the future. Is it? I think Playstation has something to say about that, but for now, Vive is a leader.
Also, keep in mind that HTC denied at least a couple of times that they would spin Vive into its own separate entity, except they have already created a separate VR entity so that they can do just that if they want. That, of course, would happen if they decide to sell off their mobile unit. Ahhh, convenience.
For now, though, HTC says a big “Nope!” to selling rumors. However, as we creep into the first few months of 2017, keep your eyes and ears open.
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