HTC's 2010 roadmap goes on display?
Those among us with minds like steel traps might recall that HTC's 2009 was leaked with shocking accuracy way back in January of this year, which lends some credibility to this already-believable series of slides we have seemingly showing off …
Context & Ripple Effects
Roadmap leaks have become HTC's unofficial product-announcement channel this year. A reseller leaked HTC's 2009 mobile lineup back in January with accuracy detailed enough that Engadget calls the track record 'shocking,' and the year since has kept the drumbeat going: ai.rs published exclusive photos and video of the unannounced 'Leo' flagship in September, BGR surfaced pricing on an upcoming AT&T HTC phone, and October brought word of a DROID Eris launch — reportedly a reshaped HTC Hero rather than new hardware — landing November 6th at $99.
First-order effects
- If the slides are genuine, HTC's entire 2010 carrier lineup — devices its partners have not yet announced — is public before HTC controls the narrative, letting carriers and press frame each launch around leaked specs rather than HTC's own reveals.
Second-order effects
- With the 2009 leak having proven so accurate, carriers and component partners will treat these slides as a working forecast rather than rumor, pricing shelf space and competing commitments against devices HTC has never officially confirmed.
Third-order effects
- A repeat would cement the pattern that HTC's roadmap reaches the public roughly a year ahead via reseller and supply-chain channels, making annual pre-leaks a structural feature of HTC's cycle rather than an accident — and pushing the company toward confirming devices earlier simply to keep pace with its own leaks.
The trend: High-volume smartphone makers' internal roadmaps are leaking a full year ahead, turning reseller-channel slips into de facto product announcements.