In spite of the highly successful worldwide release of the new HTC One Series, and the upcoming HTC EVO 4G LTE, HTC shares have been falling lately following the ousting of the company's chief financial officer, Winston Yung. Chia-Lin Chang, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, has been selected to take his place, leaving many people wondering what exactly is going on behind the scenes at HTC.
Yung had led quite a few initiatives that some people criticized, including the acquisition of a majority stake in Beats Audio, which will be branded on the EVO 4G LTE, along with other existing and future HTC devices.
However, HTC categorically denies that this change in leadership has anything to do with Beats. CEO Peter Chou recented stated that "[m]edia speculation that ties this announcement to HTC's partnership and investment in Beats By Dre is categorically inaccurate … HTC and Beats have made impressive progress in innovation and brand awareness and the integration of the Beats brand and technology in the new HTC One series is a clear indication of our commitment to this partnership."
As HTC attempts to turn itself around with devices like the One X and the EVO 4G LTE, it will certainly be interesting to see how all of this plays out.
I love HTC’s newest lineup and the general direction they’re moving in… But Beats is a huge gimmick, both their software enhancement (little more than a V-shaped EQ) and the whole company in general. They sell average to mediocre audio products at inflated prices and invest much of their money in advertising. They’re worse than Apple or even Bose… Which is not to say that you can’t make money and be profitable with that kind of strategy, I just hope that’s the case and the investment in Barts isn’t an albatross for HTC.
huh? i thought beats audio sounded great ! and I gave away my Bose in ears because ,me personally ,thought that the beats audio with the enhancements just flat out sounded better
Here’s something I’ve never gotten a handle on. Is “Beats Audio” and “Beats By Dre” the same technology? Does Dre own the Beats Audio company or was it a marketing thing to get people who like Dre’s music to switch to Beats technology? Like would we see a “Beats by Eminem” or “Beats by Britney” or even “Beats by Carrie Underwood” versions? I’ve checked several sites and all seem to use the terms loosely without actually defining. Either that or I’m looking at the wrong websites. =)
Beats by Dre are the headphones he made in partnership with Monster. I think they later expanded to have Beats Audio, which is used in other devices like computers, phones, and cars.