Thursday, August 25, 2016
HTC In Serious Needs to Help With Device Names
HTC In Serious Needs to Help With Device Names
I’ve been a fan of HTC for quite a while now. Some of my favorite Android phones were made by HTC, like the HTC myTouch 3G Slide (I loved how solid the slide mechanic was, and the keyboard was really nice as well), the EVO 4G, and most recently the HTC One (M7). But there was a period in there where I wasn’t compelled at all to buy from HTC. There were a number of reasons why, but one of those reasons was because of the confusing nature of how they named and distributed their devices.
Not too long ago, the norm for smartphone manufacturers was to make different exclusive models of
basically the same device for different carriers. It was highly inconvenient and very confusing for consumers, but typically it was easy to figure out which phone somebody wanted depending on the carrier. Unless you were HTC, who ended up getting one fry short of a Happy Meal about their naming scheme. Let’s just take a look back into 2012 to see just some of the phones that HTC released that year:
ability to drop certain phones from updates after a short amount of time, it really wasn’t a great year for HTC.So 2013 rolls around, and they unveil a phone with arguably one of the most premium designs ever seen for Android, the HTC One (also known as the M7, but the HTC One was the name everybody knew). One phone. One simple name. Later in the year they unveiled the HTC One Max and the HTC One Mini. Alright, two more phones with the same name, but there are actual describing terms that tell you which phone you’re getting. There’s the original HTC One, the bigger HTC One Max, and the smaller HTC One Mini. It was great!
Then it’s 2014, and the HTC One M8 comes around. First of all, it seems like a huge missed opportunity for the name. The HTC One’s code name was the M7, which makes perfect sense for a code name. But that code name ended up sticking after the M8 pops up, and the M8’s code name (M8) ended up being the actual name. I feel like the next natural step would be to call it the HTC Two. Even the HTC One 2 would have worked. But the HTC M8 just started making things confusing again. Especially because they ended up releasing an HTC One mini 2, not an HTC One mini M8. It was consistent with the One Mini line, but not with its larger progenitor. That was also the year they released the HTC One E8, which was a less premium version of the HTC One M8.
So now we’re in 2015 and you have the HTC One M9, which is semi-consistent with the previous year’s HTC One devices. You also have the HTC One A9, which is a slightly-lesser-but-still-good-version of the HTC One M9. But not the next gen HTC One M whatever flagship. And then, of course, you throw in the HTC One X9.
Too many Ones. Too many letters. Too much confusion.
Either way, I still feel like something needs to change with HTC’s naming strategy. It seemed like they found a great solution and then fell back into old habits. I think maybe it’s time to get rid of the One name and start fresh with something different. Maybe something catchy that’s also consistent and has more clarity.
Not too long ago, the norm for smartphone manufacturers was to make different exclusive models of basically the same device for different carriers. It was highly inconvenient and very confusing for consumers, but typically it was easy to figure out which phone somebody wanted depending on the carrier. Unless you were HTC, who ended up getting one fry short of a Happy Meal about their naming scheme. Let’s just take a look back into 2012 to see just some of the phones that HTC released that year:
- HTC One S
- HTC One SV
- HTC One V
- HTC One X
- HTC One X+
- HTC One XL
- HTC One CL
ability to drop certain phones from updates after a short amount of time, it really wasn’t a great year for HTC.So 2013 rolls around, and they unveil a phone with arguably one of the most premium designs ever seen for Android, the HTC One (also known as the M7, but the HTC One was the name everybody knew). One phone. One simple name. Later in the year they unveiled the HTC One Max and the HTC One Mini. Alright, two more phones with the same name, but there are actual describing terms that tell you which phone you’re getting. There’s the original HTC One, the bigger HTC One Max, and the smaller HTC One Mini. It was great!
Then it’s 2014, and the HTC One M8 comes around. First of all, it seems like a huge missed opportunity for the name. The HTC One’s code name was the M7, which makes perfect sense for a code name. But that code name ended up sticking after the M8 pops up, and the M8’s code name (M8) ended up being the actual name. I feel like the next natural step would be to call it the HTC Two. Even the HTC One 2 would have worked. But the HTC M8 just started making things confusing again. Especially because they ended up releasing an HTC One mini 2, not an HTC One mini M8. It was consistent with the One Mini line, but not with its larger progenitor. That was also the year they released the HTC One E8, which was a less premium version of the HTC One M8.
So now we’re in 2015 and you have the HTC One M9, which is semi-consistent with the previous year’s HTC One devices. You also have the HTC One A9, which is a slightly-lesser-but-still-good-version of the HTC One M9. But not the next gen HTC One M whatever flagship. And then, of course, you throw in the HTC One X9.
Too many Ones. Too many letters. Too much confusion.
Either way, I still feel like something needs to change with HTC’s naming strategy. It seemed like they found a great solution and then fell back into old habits. I think maybe it’s time to get rid of the One name and start fresh with something different. Maybe something catchy that’s also consistent and has more clarity.
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