HTC falls short in bid to develop Google co-branded tablet

Well, it appears HTC fell short in their attempt to partner with Google on their new co-branded tablet.  According toDigitimes, Google has decided to partner with Asustek in developing their 7-inch tablet targeting the Amazon Kindle Fire in the $199-$250 price range.

There are a couple of stark reasons why this partnership didn’t come to fruition.  The first reason is that the Taiwanese company was insisting on driving the development of the new tablet which Google wasn’t willing to concede to.  Additionally, HTC felt that developing a low-cost tablet would impair its’ brand image of providing high-end devices.

Personally, I feel that HTC made a mistake in not pursuing the partnership further.  HTC seems to have slightly lost its focus recently with the implementation of too many devices and that is reflected in their recent financial statements.  While I know HTC intends to refocus around the HTC One brand, I think a partnership with Google would only increase their exposure and help their profit margins.

What do you think?  Should HTC have been more flexible in negotiations with Google or do you think they made the right decision to preserve their ‘high-end devices’ image?  Let us know your thoughts.

Source: Digitimes