Taipei, Feb. 9, 2010 (CENS)--The Taiwan-based High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), a globally leading supplier of brand smartphones, reported sales revenue of NT$11.121 billion for January, down 21% from a month earlier due mainly to lower-than-expected sales of Google`s Nexus One phones in the consumer market, according to institutional investors.

Based on its January revenue, HTC projects its sales revenue at between NT$32 billion and NT$34 billion for the first quarter, declining by 17-22% from a quarter earlier. Affected by lackluster sales of Nexus One, the projection of the firm`s smartphone shipments for the quarter has been adjusted downward by institutional investors to only 400,000 units from original 500,000 units.

Working out the world`s first smartphone based on Google`s Android platform and consistently launching high-profile models, HTC succeeded in gaining solid ground in the segment for such handsets last year. However, with more rivals, such as Motorola and Apple, joining the sector, the firm may have to face increasingly intensive competition this year.

To counter, the firm has decided to participate in Mobile World Congress 2010, slated for February 15 to 18 in Spain, and debut some new smartphones for sale in the first half of this year. Hopefully, institutional investors indicated, the launch of these new models will enable the firm`s sales revenue to grow month by month in the year.

In the meantime, the firm will probably sacrifice growth of its overall gross profit rate in exchange for an increasing share of the global market for brand smartphones this year. If the strategy works, institutional investors noted, the firm is likely to enjoy a shipment growth of 15-120% in the year.

(by Steve Chuang)