Sources speaking to Bloomberg financial news say that Microsoft has approached HTC to ask it to add a Windows Phone option to its range of Android based smartphones. People with knowledge of the deal said Microsoft was willing to offer its mobile OS “at little or no cost,” to the Taiwanese mobile maker. However the same sources indicate that no deal has been finalised as yet.
The story sources are quite specific about the talks, who was involved and what was discussed. Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft’s operating systems unit, was said to be the instigator of the talks from Microsoft’s side. “Myerson discussed cutting or eliminating the license fee to make the idea more attractive,” the Bloomberg sources reported.
Indeed HTC has seemed to neglect Windows Phone; it was the first company to make both Windows and Android handsets but hasn’t released anything Windows based for a long time. Furthermore a source from HTC says that there are currently no plans for Windows Phones at HTC.
The deal could be pulled together later this month when Microsoft’s Myerson travels to Taiwan. Both parties have declined to comment on today’s Bloomberg report.
HTC’s first ever quarterly loss
Also today, in financial news, HTC made a net loss of 2.97bn Taiwan dollars ($100m or £62m) in the quarter ending in September. The firm was once a market leader but is currently trailing well behind rivals Apple and Samsung in terms of sales and profits.
There is some hope that the new HTC One flagship range of smartphones can do well and have a halo effect on HTCs cheaper smartphones. The HTC One has been very well reviewed and beat rivals the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 at the T3s gadget awards in London last night. The HTC One picked up three awards including; Phone of the Year, Gadget of the Year and the T3 Design Award.
