From what we can gather HTC may be planning a transition into manufacturing more plastic chasis for devices and opting out of their tried and true metal unibody chasis. This has yet to be confirmed by HTC and its aluminum shell developers, Catcher, after reports from securities investment houses claimed that HTC’s shift will cause Catcher to lose 15-20% in revenues. Once the rumors hit the marketyesterday on September 15th, Catcher’s stocks has begun its decline. It is said that HTC will continue production with metal chasis for 30% of their products in 2012, which is half of the 60% of metal chasis we see this year.
This will definitely reduce their costs and seems as they are conforming to their many competitors who all tend to produce plastic chasis. For most consumers this has been a driving force in handset purchase decision making when comparing between HTC devices and all other competitors such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and others. Many of those who I’ve discussed the metal vs plastic discussion with all seem to agree that the plastic chasis feel more cheap, and HTC has always gone for the more solid and polished build which incorporates aluminum into their design. While this may also provide a bit more heft to the device, most users would feel that it is a generous tradeoff when comparing build quality and the confidence that when/if their product enters a free-fall, that the device wont shatter or chip on impact, like many of the plastic body chasis have been infamous for.
Do you believe this decision to reduce metal unibody chasis and move towards the less expensive plastic chasis is a good move for HTC, or will this backfire resulting in consumer backlash?
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