Verizon to launch HTC Imagio October 6th, Android-powered HTC Predator to follow
It looks as though T-Mobile subscribers will have two big reasons reasons to rejoice come November 11th, but they're not the only ones with cause for celebration in the near future.
Context & Ripple Effects
Boy Genius Report has Verizon putting the HTC Imagio on shelves October 6th, with a second HTC device — the Android-powered Predator — following shortly behind, while T-Mobile subscribers are rumored to get two device launches around November 11th. The same report cycle has BGR noting AT&T's Tilt 2 landing on the very same October 6th date, and ai.rs blog circulating video reviews of HTC's Leo handset.
The significance is HTC's simultaneous presence across all three major US carriers within weeks of each other: Verizon gets an HTC launch plus its first confirmed Android follow-on, AT&T gets an HTC flagship the same day, and T-Mobile's November window keeps the cadence running through the quarter.
First-order effects
- Verizon gains two new HTC devices in quick succession — the Imagio on October 6th and the confirmed Android Predator behind it — widening its smartphone lineup into the holiday quarter.
Second-order effects
- AT&T answering with the Tilt 2 on the identical October 6th date turns the launch calendar itself into a competitive move, forcing each carrier to match rivals' HTC exclusives rather than stagger them.
Third-order effects
- If every US carrier keeps locking near-simultaneous HTC hardware, HTC consolidates its position as the go-to OEM across all three networks — and carrier marketing shifts from whose network is bigger to who ships the newest handset first.
The trend: Late-2009 US carrier competition is converging on exclusive, back-to-back HTC smartphone launches as Android moves onto every major network.