Where IS HTC One?

Even HTC don’t know where One is.It’s not in store, or has any sign of coming, although SmartHouse now has been given a pre-production model.

After HTC One with 4.7″ Full HD (1080p) screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz
quad-core processor, amazing Zoe camera, billed as “not an evolution..it’s an entirely new engine” launched with much fervour in Oz six weeks ago (and we looooved it), it’s now nowhere to be seen.

And no word of when the Android Jelly Bean smartphone, which could make-or-break its already struggling Taiwanese maker under increasing pressure from Apple and Samsung, will be on sale.

Its a cool phone, but maybe not cool enough for component suppliers.

A global HTC spokesperson blamed delays in component supplies for the delays to One shipments, telling the Wall Street Journal its not longer deemed ‘cool’ enough among suppliers to be given priority:

“The company has a problem managing its component suppliers as it has changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year’s unexpected slump in shipments.. HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer.”

A HTC Australia spokesperson refused to comment on One availability when asked whether the delays were associated with the manufacture of the aluminium zero gap unibody of the One, believed to be complex to make.

One will be available soon but gave no precise timeline, he said.

Well, HTC would want to hurry up as arch rival Samsung is about to unleash its hero Galaxy S 4, as the phone market gets even more crowded with Motorola also set to release a newbie, and LG unveiled Optimus G superphone last week.