HTC Increases Google Phone Sales Forecasts

Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC) expects cumulative shipments of T-Mobile's G1 Google Phone to reach one million units by the end of 2008. The firm also expects to ship some three million units of its Windows Mobile based Touch Diamond smartphone.

The company had previously said that it expected sales of the T-Mobile phone to be in the region of 500,000 units by the end of this year - rising to between 1.5 and 2 million units by the end of 2009.

Recent research from Strategy Analytics reported that the Android operating system will account for 4 percent of all smartphones sold in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2008.

Neil Mawston, Director, Wireless Device Strategies at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast 10.5 million smartphones to be sold in the United States during Q4 2008. We estimate smartphones with Google’s Android operating system, led by HTC of Taiwan, will reach 0.4 million units in the quarter, for a 4 percent marketshare. Android is a relatively late entrant and it will join an increasingly crowded market alongside Blackberry, Microsoft, Apple, Palm, Symbian and LiMo.”

HTC's CEO Peter Chou also told DigiTimes that the company is not laying off staff - refuting some recent news reports. Chou also revealed that HTC is planning to acquire a handset design company in the USA but did not give any further details.

Resource - cellular-news