HTC Promises Better Smartphones Due to Apple Deal

By Zak Islam
published

HTC may have access to Apple technology thanks to licensing agreement.

HTC has said that its licensing agreement with Apple will see the Taiwanese handset manufacturer deliver better smartphones in 2013.

It's believed that due to the deal, HTC has been granted access to some Apple technology other Android manufacturers aren't able to utilize.

"The settlement with Apple will start to pay off next year (2013), and the fourth quarter of this year is still going at a set pace," said HTC China president Ray Yam. "The biggest benefit to us is that we can put more energy into innovation, which is more important than anything else for a technology company."

The two firms had been facing each other in court regarding patent disputes. However, they agreed a deal that saw HTC paying Apple a one-off amount, as well as monthly installments.

Apple were expected to receive up to $280 million on an annual basis, but the report was later debunked by HTC.

HTC is rumored to be working on the M7 smartphone, with the handset said to sport a full HD 4.7-inch screen with a pixel density of 468 PPI (pixels per-inch), as well as being powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor.

Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback

Zak Islam
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dns7950
    HTC working with Apple? Ok, I guess I`m boycotting HTC... Oh well, they aren't the best manufacturer anyway.. And they'll only go downhill from here... This title article is misleading, it makes it sound like Apple has better technology.. Oh wait, its another Zak article.. I guess i shouldn't have expected something unbiased.
    Reply
  • scooterboi
    dns7950HTC working with Apple? Ok, I guess I`m boycotting HTC... Oh well, they aren't the best manufacturer anyway.. And they'll only go downhill from here... This title article is misleading, it makes it sound like Apple has better technology.. Oh wait, its another Zak article.. I guess i shouldn't have expected something unbiased.have you boycott samsung yet? they've been working with apple since mid 90's

    /s
    Reply
  • bustapr
    dns7950HTC working with Apple? Ok, I guess I`m boycotting HTC... Oh well, they aren't the best manufacturer anyway.. And they'll only go downhill from here... This title article is misleading, it makes it sound like Apple has better technology.. Oh wait, its another Zak article.. I guess i shouldn't have expected something unbiased.this is just retarded. theres no mention of working with apple. HTC is just granted licenses to put stuff on their phones that competition cant have and avoid getting sued. the title is also NOT misleading as it is what HTC is promising. just because you hate apple doesnt mean they dont have better tech in some areas of the phone.

    HTC had to make this deal because they need money and arent in the luxury of turning down deals like samsung and google can. their whole business is based on phones. If they continue the way they are, they might not survive since theyre only losing market share for a while now. they need to innovate, and in order to innovate it is very VERY helpful to be able to do more things without risk of getting sued for everything you own.

    your whole comment is retarded.
    Reply
  • dthx
    dns7950HTC working with Apple? Ok, I guess I`m boycotting HTC... Oh well, they aren't the best manufacturer anyway.. And they'll only go downhill from here... This title article is misleading, it makes it sound like Apple has better technology.. Oh wait, its another Zak article.. I guess i shouldn't have expected something unbiased.HTC going downhill, yes, definitely, but this is more due to their inexistant marketing rather than the quality of their hardware. The HTC's have a nice finish, offered decent screens ages before the competitors started to increase the resolution and Sense adds plenty of little extra features that make it more usable than a stock Android. Some people hate Sense, some adore it, but at least they do the effort to propose a different product.
    Many of the negative opinions about HTC dates from the user experience with early Windows Mobile devices and the first Android models, when HTC was almost alone in the desert with their devices. But they evolved in a good way and the OS's as well.
    For the agreement with Apple, remember that HTC has long ago agreed to pay licenses to Microsoft well before other manufacturers to ensure their devices had features like being able to sync with exchange servers when it wasn't in the realm of possibilities for other Android devices. You can pay to ensure that you can offer some features to your customer or try to sell a phone that may bring you into a court and then need to remove those features from future firmware upgrades... As a customer, I'd hate to invest in a device from the second one...
    Reply
  • Camikazi
    otacon72Those frivolous patents cost Samsung a cool billion. Not exactly frivolous in my book. If Samsung was smart they'd do the same thing. I'm sure Apple won't mind taking another billion from them in the near future otherwise.It hasn't cost Samsung a thing since they have not paid and are fighting the ruling. With the ways things are going it seems Samsung might not have to pay much since Apple patents keep getting invalidated :P
    Reply
  • Pfft if HTC gave a crap about updating the OS maybe I'd care. After you buy an HTC you're on your own.
    Reply
  • cumi2k4
    the only thing about apple that interest me is their magsafe connector.... so htc, get that :p
    Reply
  • cknobman
    My stint with HTC is over (1 Evo, 2 Evo Designs).

    Their bloated, slow, laggy, and annoying sense ui is enough for me to never come back.

    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    What the heck could Apple offer that is better than top of the line Android phones. And don't say retina. There are already phones with a higher ppi and resolution. And the average user wouldn't even be able to say if the screen looked better.
    Reply