HTC Focus On Mid-Range For 2009; Magic Sells Over 1m

We might rib T-Mobile USA for pricing the HTC Touch Pro2 so highly, but we'd still much rather spend time with that smartphone than, say, the HTC Mega.  Going by the latest comments from HTC CEO Peter Chou, though, we may not have much choice soon.  Chou says the company will be focussing their development budgets on mid-range smartphones, in the expectation that such models – with price-tags of around $300 pre-subsidies – will account for 50 to 60-percent of total device shipments in the second half of this year.

The news comes as HTC launch their third Android smartphone – and the one we think most highly of – the HTC Hero in Taiwan, where it will be available free to two-year subscribers on $53/mo or above contracts.  Chou also confirmed that the HTC Magic has sold in excess of one million units since its late-April 2009 launch.

HTC recently announced Q2 2009 financial results of $1,62m revenue, a year-on-year growth of over 10-percent.  The company is yet to reveal the devices it will focus on for the rest of 2009, though leaks have tipped both the Mega and the HTC Leo.