Embattled smartphone maker HTC Corp has finally confirmed that it is on the brink of developing the world’s first blockchain phone ‘Exodus.’ The confirmation came at the ongoing annual tech conference Rise in Hong Kong. Despite the confirmation, Exodus’ release date continues to be subject of huge speculation. But reliable sources claim that the phone may hit the market in third quarter of the year.
Details about other critical information like design and hardware configurations of the phone are still very hazy.
Commenting on Exodus, HTC’s chief crypto officer said: “The Exodus is a great place to start because the phone is the most personal device, and it is also the place where all your data originates from. I’m excited about the opportunity it brings to decentralize the internet and reshape it for the modern user.”
HTC is taking a huge bet on Exodus to revive its sliding fortunes. Once considered as one of the top players in smartphone industry, today the Taiwanese phone maker has become a fringe player as it succumbed to hyper-competition from top rivals like Apple, Samsung and hordes of Chinese competitors.
Even HTC’s latest flagship phone u12+, which was launched earlier this year, has proved to be a huge disappointment. While the sales have been less than flattering all along, overwhelmingly negative reviews about the phone have equally proved to be a huge dampener. According to latest stats by HTC, the company’s sales clocked merely $72 million in June this year compared to $226.5 million in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, industry experts are sharply divided over whether Exodus can really pull off a miracle for HTC. The skepticism probably steams from the fact that Blockchain industry, with all its palpable hype, is still in a very nascent stage to offer this phone any real market. But some experts do argue that if the market for blockchain phone does exit then HTC can succeed in cashing on first mover advantage through Exodus.