San Francisco — Ever since Google acquired Motorola’s cellphone division in August, it is not surprising that other Android handset makers may be a bit cautious over their future. But speculation is swirling that High-Tech Computer (HTC), one of the largest makers of smartphones on the planet, is reportedly considering creating or adopting proprietary mobile operating systems, but only after careful consideration.
Although Google has reiterated that the search engine behemoth has plans to close off Android to other manufacturers, but the possibility for future looks bleak. The latest rumor, reported by the Economic Observer of China, claims that Taiwan’s HTC Corp. is considering buying an operating system for use in its best-selling smartphones.
Apparently, the company can certainly distinguish itself with Google Android or Windows Phone platforms, but an own OS would allow it to address yet untapped markets.
According to industry chitchat Samsung or HTC will acquire HP’s webOS or Intel’s MeeGo, in order to minimize their reliance on Android. Samsung has denied the webOS rumor, and is reportedly eyeing MeeGo now that Nokia, which co-launched MeeGo with Intel in 2010, has shifted its focus to Windows Phone 7.
“We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse. We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS,” said Cher Wang, the chairwoman of HTC, in an interview with the Economic Observer news-paper, reports Focus Taiwan.
HTC’s Chairwoman has stated that her firm is considering buying a proprietary operating system.
While there was no mention as to which platform the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer was considering, many think that if they were to make a purchase, will most likely opt-out for either HP’s defunct webOS could be an appealing target or Intel’s MeeGo.
Given the fierce patent wars going on at the moment, some are saying that purchasing webOS is a promising operating system which had arguably some distinct advantages over its more successful competitors, and will give HTC an edge, especially with the legacy of the platform which originated from Palm.
HTC is concentrating on providing customers with the best experience across our device portfolio. We are always assessing different opportunities to enhance that experience through innovation and partnership; however, we have no announcements about our platform strategy at this time, a spokeswoman said in an email.
HTC produces its own interface, “HTC Sense,” which runs on top of Windows Phone 7 and Android. Also, HTC launched the first Android smartphone, the HTC Dream in 2008. It has also announced its first Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” smartphones for the U.S. market, the Radar and Titan with AT&T.
Wang spoke discreetly about the Moto-Google deal, saying she agreed with Google’s decision to acquire Motorola because “Motorola has many vital patents,” but acknowledged that the partnership could easily go beyond that, something echoed by Google’s Eric Schmidt recently. Google can now consider branding its phones with Motorola’s name, she told the Economic Observer.
Moreover, rival South Korean phone-maker Samsung Electronics Corp. Ltd. was rumored to be considering purchasing webOS, but the company’s CEO resoundingly rebuffed these rumors. Motorola Mobile, Inc. was rumored to be considering purchasing a third party operating system as well, before it was scooped up by Google.
However, just last week, HTC revised a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, using five patents reportedly assigned to HTC by Google.