HTC reportedly working on Android smartwatch for next year

Cost, functions and sales strategy for the watch are still to be decided before it’s released by the second half of 2014, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Chairwoman Cher Wang gathered workers at a town-hall style meeting today to tell them the Taiwanese smartphone maker needs to improve its customer focus, Chief Marketing Officer Ben Ho said in an interview.

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HTC doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation, it said in an e-mailed response to questions about the smartwatch from Bloomberg News.

Wang, who was joined by Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou, held a 90 minute town hall meeting with workers, including a question and answer session, Ho said.

Wang emphasized the importance of after-sales service to ensure customer loyalty and repeat business for its handsets, according to Ho.

Chou, who took over as president in 2004, has struggled to compete with devices from Apple, Samsung and an array of Chinese entrants driving prices down.

HTC, once the biggest seller of smartphones in the U.S., saw its share of the global market drop by more than half in the second quarter. The company has issued redesigned versions of its flagship HTC One model and has hired actor Robert Downey Jr. in a renewed push to promote its brand.

HTC’s third-quarter net loss was NT$2.97 billion ($101 million), it reported Oct. 4, wider than the NT$1.71 billion loss according to the average of 16 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales of NT$47 billion missed the NT$54 billion average of analysts’ estimates.

Source : Bloomberg