HTC has made a $300 million investment in Beats. Beats is a company focused on improving sound quality for small devices. Previously, Beats improve sound quality greatly on HP notebooks and tablets. Like the old disco song this deal may "turn the beat around" and help HTC beat out the competition like the the iPhone.
HTC expects its line of HTC smartphones to be integrated with Beats sound innovations to be available this fall.
"Beats has found a unique way to harness popular culture in a manner
that is unlike any other brand today," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp.
"It's an exciting brand that has been built around providing something
very special, and we believe our strategic partnership will provide
customers with unbeatable sound on HTC phones. We obsess over every
detail of a consumer's mobile experience, and audio is a critical part
of that experience."
Some analysts believe that the Beats technology will help HTC corner the market for audiophiles. While other analysts believe in this highly competitive market that it will not make a big difference.
Beats Electronics will continue to operate autonomously.
HTC will launch 6 to 8 smartphones in the fall, which are expected to be the HTC Vigor and the female-focused HTC Bliss,
Recent HTC smartphone releases include the HTC EVO 3D, HTC Sensation 4G and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide,
all of which are very popular and have dual-core processors. The other
most recent HTC launch was the HTC Status from AT&T with a dedicated
Facebook button and cheap price (one-cent at Amazon.com). The HTC Wildfire is a budget priced smartphone from T-Mobile.