A Microsoft job listing hints that HTC could be planning to manufacture its own Windows 10 Mobile-powered smartphone.
Originally pushed out in December last year, the posting considers HTC as among Microsoft's third-party phone device partners. This says the Redmond-based company is looking for a Director of Account Management in Taipei, Taiwan, where the phone maker is based. He will be tasked to work with HTC in bringing new Windows 10 Mobile products on the market.
"[T]his person will lead all aspects of sales and business development interaction with HTC, one of our top [third-party] phone device partner accounts," reads the job posting.
"Impact must be driven through senior executive levels up to and including CEO level with the goal to build product portfolio that highlight focused user scenarios around our Windows 10 Mobile and Microsoft services combined with HTC's devices, applications and services," it further adds.
Is HTC Already Giving Up On Android?
HTC's first handsets were powered by Windows Mobile. These phones range from the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Imagio, HTC HD2 and more. HTC then decided to build Android-powered devices, such as T-Mobile G1 and Nexus One.
Eventually, the phone maker rolled out a Windows version of the One M8 in the United States. While it offers an international variant of the phone in some markets, the handset did not gain traction among fans of Windows devices.
It seems, however, that HTC is not giving up on Android yet, as it is geared to launch its next flagship phone, the One M10, which happens to run on Google's operating system, This phone is believed to come out in April.
At the moment, it remains to be seen whether or not HTC will still produce Windows 10 Mobile phones. A report from Softpedia says the release of such a phone will depend on how well the forthcoming Android flagship will sell beginning this year's second quarter.
WMPoweruser also believes the job post is an indication that "Microsoft is pursuing [its] OEM agenda with many other Chinese OEM/ODMs, suggesting we have just seen the start of a profusion of [third party] Windows phones over the next year."
Time will tell if HTC will release a Windows 10 Mobile device down the road, especially since the company is still recovering from its losses.
Last month, Tech Times reported that HTC has net losses of up to $101 million for the last quarter of last year. While earnings showed a slight jump of 20 percent as opposed to the third quarter because of the A9 handset, the improvement is still lower than what it earned in the same quarter of 2014.
