British tech retailer Clove have broken news this morning that the much-anticipated HTC One, which had been due to go on sale March 15 (i.e. this Friday) will be delayed two weeks, and HTC is now expecting the One to go on sale from March 29. No reasons are quoted by Clove, but Android Police are predicting this could be due to supply issues, which seem to have dogged a number of mobile releases of late. (Nexus 4 anyone?)
Ausdroid has sought comment from HTC in Australia, and while we haven’t received any advice at the time of publishing, we will update this story with any further information we receive.
Android Authority reported last week, via Taiwanese news site FocusTaiwan, that HTC was facing issues in bringing the One to market, due to (apparently) major problems in the manufacturing process of components in the phone’s ‘Ultrapixel’ camera.
For those that like to admire the devil in the detail, here’s the lowdown:
An investment firm familiar with HTC’s supply line received information that the yield (usable portion of total manufactured parts) on two critical components in the Ultrapixel sensor was under 30%. While such a level might not be unheard of for a cutting-edge, just-announced microprocessor (it would still be pretty low), it’s apparently far lower than expected for this camera unit.
Based on these supply issues, this investment firm is claiming estimates for the delivery of the HTC One have been revised down significantly — perhaps by up to 80% — due to such poor manufacturing of the camera components.
Clove’s announcement of a delay of two weeks for stock availability fits well with this news — if HTC is having supply issues, it will take them longer to accumulate a enough stock for a worldwide launch without major shortages, which is something HTC would want to avoid.
We all know how woeful it is to announce a killer handset, and let its prosperity languish because there’s virtually no supply available, and no end to the drought in sight. The Nexus 4 would have been a stupendously popular handset had people actually been able to buy one back in November 2012 when it was closer to cutting edge, as opposed to February-March 2013 when it really isn’t anymore.
Will the delay matter to you? Will you wait out the two weeks if it eventuates?
It is a shame that HTC is having trouble getting these beautiful phones to hands of potential buyers; but I just read an article that said the One should ship on time to the U.S. That’s fantastic news for me because I have a preorder, and I want the phone before I leave on a business trip for DISH at the end of the month. Of course I need it to stay connected, but my phone is also my main source of entertainment when I travel. I use DISH Anywhere to watch my local news channels while out of town,… Read more »
Ouch, HTC can’t ever catch a break can they? Impressive hardware undermined by production/availability issues yet again! The GS4 would invariably have the same sale launch window 2-3 weeks down, which sounds great as you could compare these two side-by-side in store – and could allow HTC’s “premium” feel vs Samsung’s (most probably conservative offering) to win over the potential buyer. But ah…who am I kidding? Sammy’s gonna blast on all fronts with the promo ads right after their announcement tomorrow, and sweep HTC right under their torrent. Sad turn of events if true, but then again I know of… Read more »
Disappointing if true. Have a One pre-ordered with Amazon, they’ll need to bring out one hell of a sweet carrot for me to stick around another two weeks given that Samsung’s revealing the S IV within a couple of days.
This will hurt HTC. They tried to get the jump on Samsung with the One reveal, but Sammy just moved up the S IV unveiling to cockblock the One’s release by a day… now production problems? They’ve just handed this Android cycle to Samsung again.
It can only hurt them as Samsungs marketing will be sinking into everyones brains within 2 weeks and will forget about this one.
Im really on the edge with HTC, seen people burned in the past with their handsets being locked down and sense being a pain. Just that the hardware seems really nice, love the front facing speakers and love the idea of the camera (although it hasnt proven to be too great so far)