A report out of Digitimes suggests HTC is planning to ship 60 million handsets in 2011, a three-fold increase over 2010. In a summit held in Taipei, the Taiwanese manufacturer reportedly informed the executives of over 100 parts suppliers of this manufacturing goal. The suppliers were warned in advance that they should be prepared to deliver the components required to manufacture and ship this volume of handsets.
The Taiwanese manufacturer shipped about 6.4 million handsets in Q3 2010 and is on pace to deliver approximately 20 million handsets in 2010. This is up significantly from 2009 when the manufacturer shipped 2.6M mobile phones in Q3 2009 and a total of 11.7M handsets for the year. Most these 2010 phones are powered by Android and include popular models like the HTC DROID Incredible, the Nexus One, and the MyTouch 4G.
Looking forward, Android will continue to be dominant in HTC’s lineup, but Windows Phone could also be a major contributor. The Taiwan manufacturer was a launch partner for Microsoft’s mobile OS and has four models currently on the market. A fifth handset, the HTC 7 Pro, is expected to debut on Sprint in 2011. Windows Phone is a wildcard right now as the mobile operating system is still in its infancy. In this upcoming year, the platform could make great strides or fall flat on it face. Judging by HTC’s lofty estimate of 60 million, it is planning for a boon and not a bust.
[Vis Digitimes]