HTC has taken to Facebook to detail its plans for Android 4.0 parent in terms of updates on its recent lineup, with the Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Design 4G, Incredible S, Desire S, and Desire HD receiving updates to the new operating system during the year.
While HTC has been the most transparent in terms of timetables regarding future updates for its slate of Android devices, the manufacturer has been more reticent than usual owing to the sheer scale necessary to update its latest lineup as Android 4.0 is the most resource intensive version of Android in terms of memory and processor power necessary to handle its transitions and rendering requirements.
HTC has also pledged to reduce the total numbers of models it releases this year after it missed its 4th quarter projections following the announcement of its earnings earlier this week. HTC typically makes its profit by selling multiple versions of hardware around the world and modified to suit carriers, though it did cite the lower than expected sales of phones such as the Thunderbolt as a reason for the change in direction.
The change in release strategy may be a boon to the manufacturer, as less models means less money necessary to spend on marketing and promotion and less money spent on support, including R&D on future updates. While HTC did report a loss for the 4th quarter, the company expects to continue its growth targets while amending its projections based on the lower than expected earnings.
More details on Android ICS updates will be released for each phone that was confirmed earlier today in the coming months.
It’s good to see that HTC are still upgrading their phones to the latest version of the operating system. Quite a few manufactures don’t seem to keep their phones up to date.
Ironically, not a single HTC tablet appears to be making the cut for ICS. Not Flyer, not EVO View 4G, and not Jetstream.
I seriously question if that’s a strategy to “play to win” in the tablet market…