DUBAI – HTC launched its gold M8 smartphone in the Middle East on Wednesday. Besides the gold-plated version, there are three different colors to choose from phone, which will be available before the end of this week in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and will be priced at AED2,750. The rest of the region will have to wait another week or two for the phone, when the amber gold version will also be launched. HTC's market share for smartphone devices in the Middle East decreased from 3.9 percent in 2012 to 1.7 percent last year. For the first time the phone will be on sale at the same time as the rest of EMEA – that is a strategic decision. The second thing is we've created a unique version of the M8, we kicked off a real gold version which will be launched in this region and there will be global exclusivity for the first two weeks of its life,” said Phil Blair, the president of HTC EMEA. HTC would not reveal the exact price of the gold-plated version but said that it would be on sale for a five-figure dollar sum. “The company is also increasing its marketing budget to help ramp up sales. “In the recent past, HTC has not been considered the device of choice as the product line up has been reduced, leaving just a few models in the range,” said Angel Rangel, the research director of systems and infrastructure solutions at IDC. “Its current price point together with a limited investment in marketing has caused the product not to enjoy the success it deserves.” Despite the fact that the M8 is quite a bit larger than the M7, more rounded edges make the newer phone still feel fairly pocketable and hand-holdable. Overall, this phone's design is an impressive achievement. — SG/Agencies
