HTC is still planning to compete with Samsung and others in the smart watch market, by shipping a wearable device later this year, the company chairwoman has revealed in an interview. Work on a smart watch has been stalled by battery issues and other problems, according to Cher Wang, though the company hoping to launch some form of wearable item sometime before the holiday shopping season.
"Many years ago we started looking at smart watches and wearables, but we believe that we really have to solve the battery problems and the LCD light problems. These are customer-centric problems," Wang told Bloomberg. Commenting on the company's wearable plans in an earlier interview, CEO Peter Chou advised the watch "has to meet a need, otherwise if it's just a gimmick or concept, it's not for people's day-to-day lives." Neither Chou nor Wang have since revealed anything else about the smart watch.