HTC and Telstra will today launch the new Wildfire Smartphone at Sydney’s Toronga Zoo. The new mobile phone comes as Deutsche Bank claims that the Apple’s iPhone and Smartphone like the HTC Desire and Android based Wildfire are effectively strangling the market for mid-range phones.
The new Wildfire which goes on sale tomorrow has a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen and HTC’s Friend Stream application, which seamlessly gathers social networking updates from Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr and displays them in a single stream.
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This type of technology claims Deutsche Bank is what is attracting consumers away from low cost models made by European manufacturers like Nokia as well as models from LG and Samsung who are struggling in the mid phone market.
Companies like HTC, Apple and Research in Motion with their Blackberry represent two thirds of all phone revenue but combined only make up about 10 percent of the market, leaving very little room for anything but very low-end, high-volume devices claims Deutsche Bank.
“We think the change that Apple has forced on the industry continues to play out,” the bank said. “Those mid-range feature phones used to be Samsung’s and LG’s bread and butter products upon which they built their operations. Those kinds of phones are vanishing from the shelves in the US, increasingly replaced by high-end smartphones subsidized down to mainstream prices.”
LG, Samsung and companies that had previously thrived in the mid-range, such as Motorola and Sony Ericsson, have lately found themselves having to switch to smartphones to stay profitable.
Nokia is currently the market leader in sheer units, but its dependence on low-end phones has collapsed its profits and handed market share to Apple, HTC and RIM even in once secure markets, such as Europe the bank claims.
The new HTC Wildfire is seen as the type of phone that is doing damage to the market share of their rivals. It comes with 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash, it also has a 3.5mm audio jack and micro SD, additional special features include next-generation Caller ID, the ability to recommend apps straight from your phone.
Anthony Petts, Sales and Marketing Director at HTC ANZ said “This new smartphone makes the signature HTC Sense experience accessible to a younger audience through the integration of popular social networks.
Our new Wildfire model also has an additional range of features including Caller ID that allows you to view in depth contact details from their Facebook status and birthday when the call comes through, to the ability to recommend applications to friends in one simple tap.”
Pricing will be announced later today.
