A new report claims Google has tapped HTC to manufacture the search company's first 64-bit device.
The report comes from the Wall Street Journal, which cites people familiar with the matter that HTC engineers have been visiting Google's Mountain View headquarters in California to work on the rumored upcoming Nexus 9.
Although HTC made Google's first Nexus One smartphone in 2011, the Taiwanese smartphone maker has not been asked to create other devices in the Nexus line. It also lacks experience in the slate department, seeing how its 7-inch HTC Flyer and HTC Jetstream bombed when they were introduced in the same year as the Nexus One. Although both tablets garnered mostly positive reviews for their high-quality construction, the devices were expensive and unable to compete with cheaper, low-end tablets and the more popular iPad.
Google, however, has a tradition of maintaining diversity in its partnerships and has been considering working with HTC after it partnered with Samsung for the Nexus 10, Asus for the Nexus 7 and LG for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 4 smartphones. The search company is also reportedly keeping an eye out for Samsung, which currently holds 40 percent of the market share in the Android devices market. Sources cited by the WSJ say Google is worried that Samsung might become too big that it could use its influence as leverage in renegotiating its deals with the Android maker.
Google declined to comment on why it likes to switch partners, but the company said, "Android is a vibrant ecosystem, and many of the industry players are doing very well. There's room for many partners to do well and to innovate with Android."
HTC is known for making the HTC One smartphones, devices that have consistently nabbed rave reviews from technology enthusiasts and considered some of the best Android smartphones in the market. However, critical acclaim for its flagship HTC One M8 failed to convert into sales, leading to the company reporting a loss amounting to $62 million in its first fiscal quarter of 2014. The amount was much more than the analyst expectation of a $52 million loss for the company. HTC has also had its fair share of internal upheavals caused by management issues and key talent leaving the company.
Rumors of an upcoming Nexus 9 have been flying in the face of the looming public release of Google's Android L, the first iteration of the mobile platform that is 64-bit compatible. There are currently very few 64-bit Android devices on the market, which makes it reasonable to assume that Google will be coming out with a 64-bit device of its own.
Android enthusiasts have pieced together a picture of the Nexus 9 based on rumors, leaked images and patent filings, and have come up with a device that runs on NVIDIA's 64-bit Tegra K1 processor with 2 GB of RAM and an 8.9-inch display that has a resolution of 2048 x 1440. The Nexus 9 will also reportedly come with its own keyboard, suggesting that Google's new device will be aimed towards the productivity sector.
