HTC is prepping for a big announcement tomorrow, potentially declaring that it’ll be acquired by Google, which could see the beleaguered smartphone maker turn its fortunes around.
Setting the rumour mill churning, serial tech tipster Evan Blass tweeted that an HTC employee had sent him a copy of an internal invitation inviting the company’s employees to a Town Hall meeting on September 21, where one of the discussion topics in a potential acquisition by Google.
[1] Someone sent me a copy of an internal invitation to an HTC employee Town Hall meeting tmrw (9/21). One alleged topic: Google acquisition
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 20, 2017
Further fuelling the flames of speculation, Taiwanese site TechNews noted that HTC had ceased trading on the Taiwanese Stock Exchange ahead of Google potentially buying out the company’s phone division, with a tweet from Bloomberg journalist Tim Culpan also announcing HTC is to halt its stock trading ahead of a major announcement.
Given HTC is supposedly making the Pixel 2 and the Taiwanese phone company was one of the first phone makers to adopt Google’s Android software, it makes sense that the search giant would have an interest in buying HTC.
If such an acquisition does go ahead, all rumours point to Google buying only HTC’s smartphone division, leaving the company with the Vive virtual reality (VR) brand; an area HTC is keen to pursue.
Despite the decent reception HTC’s U11 flagship handset received this year, things have been tough for HTC in the mobile market, with it losing out to bigger brands like Samsung and Apple. So it would make sense for HTC to shift way from its phone lineage and concentrate on the VR side of things, as while VR is currently a growing but niche area, HTC has a solid partnership with game makers and service provider Valve to help it win the attention of potential VR developers and emerging enthusiasts.
Related: HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift
Do you think Google will buy HTC or is it all an elaborate rumour? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
