In what comes as a surprising claim, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC is planning to sell off it VIVE VR business. The company is also planning to sell off its handset business as well, according to a report from Bloomberg.
HTC is currently consulting with advisers over bringing in a strategic investment by selling it VIVE VR unit. The report also states that insiders have hinted at HTC even considering to sell its handset business to Google, which isn’t confirmed for now.
While both companies involved haven’t commented on anything, it is evident that HTC is not in a shape that it had been a few years ago. The smartphone market is dominated by Apple and Samsung currently, in which HTC is confined to a smaller player. In the VR market, their VIVE headset is doing well, giving tough competition to Facebook’s Oculus and Samsung’s GearVR.
Bloomberg states that HTC’s VR headset was increasing market share slowly, with 1,90,000 units selling in the first quarter. Selling this business could reap loads of capital for the ailing company. The handset division has been trying to pull itself back to the glory it once enjoyed, especially after becoming the sole manufacturer of the Google Pixel. Their latest U11 (review) flagship has turned the company towards the right direction.
There is no confirmation yet on this front. Stay tuned to Deccan Chronicle for information.
(source)
