HTC Sense interface coming to HTC Magic?
CEO hints at existing devices getting new interface — HTC has confirmed to Pocket-lint that its new Sense interface found on the Android-touting HTC Hero announced on Wednesday would be available on other devices the company has already released.
Context & Ripple Effects
HTC has confirmed that the Sense interface debuts on the Android-touting HTC Hero, announced this week, and — per the company's comments to Pocket-lint, still unconfirmed as a commitment — that already-shipped devices such as the HTC Magic may receive it too. The hint matters because Sense is HTC's answer to a question its own lineup has been circling since early 2009: a February hands-on of the HTC-built Android G2 judged the hardware close to perfection against Apple's iPhone, leaving software as the remaining differentiator.
First-order effects
- If the rumored rollout lands, existing HTC Magic owners gain the Sense layer on hardware they already own, extending the value of a device released before the interface existed.
Second-order effects
- Rival Android handset makers face pressure to develop their own interface skins or compete on raw hardware alone, while carriers gain another lever for differentiating otherwise similar Android devices.
Third-order effects
- The pattern points toward Android fragmenting visually by manufacturer, with each OEM's interface becoming both its brand identity and a dependency — updates to the OS now route through whoever built the skin.
The trend: Android manufacturers are racing to differentiate through proprietary interface layers stacked on top of Google's OS, turning software skins into the primary branding battleground.