HTC One delays confirmed for half the planet

In order to remain a relevant part of the mobile ecosystem, HTC desperately need their latest phone to be a big hit. According to HTC, the demand for their new flagship phone is now so high that they will be unable to meet the original launch window for the phone.

HTC’s press event for the One was full of aggressive statements and definitive comments. This wasn’t just a good phone, this was the best phone. This was going to be the big thing that was talked about this year, and HTC made sure everyone knew it. They have reason to brag, the HTC One is a smartphone worthy of all the praise it has received. Even if the phone wasn’t going to be a commercial success, HTC demonstrated at the Samsung Galaxy S4 event that they have no intention of going quietly. Several HTC employees have dropped hints on social networks that the company was very happy with the number of pre-orders that had come in recently. In fact, the demand for the phone is now so significant across the globe that rumors of a launch delay have been confirmed by HTC.

If you’re in North America, Asia-Pacific, or most of Europe, your HTC One has been unilaterally delayed regardless of carrier. HTC plans to have phones in stores “before the end of April” but doesn’t get any more specific then that. If you’re in the UK, Germany, or Taiwan you’ll be able to grab your HTC One on schedule, starting next week depending on your carrier. It’s not really all that surprising, when you consider that each one of the special wireless transmission friendly aluminum cases takes 220 minutes to make. On top of that, many of the phone’s components are in high demand as they are also going in the Galaxy S4, which is also do out shortly. Either way, the wait could now be up to a month longer than originally anticipated.

This happens occasionally with smartphones that are in high demand. The Galaxy S3 launch was plagued with a similar delay on certain US carriers. Considering the backlash Google received over the Nexus 4, which sold out within the first hours of its launch and remained unavailable for weeks after. HTC is probably making the right decision here, even if it upsets some early adopters ready to dig into this new phone.