All change at the top as HTC looks to go 'beyond the smartphone'

All change at the top as HTC looks to go beyond the smartphone
Do you believe in life after Chou?

There's been a major reshuffle at the top of HTC, with the smartphone manufacturer appointing Cher Wang as its new CEO.

It's a job Wang has been eased into over the past few months, so this announcement hardly comes as a huge surprise.

She takes over from Peter Chou who remains in the company, taking a new position as head of the HTC Future Development Lab.

So what's the vision for Wang's HTC? Well it looks like she's planning on developing more devices in different areas of the industry, with the firm's focus no longer solely on smartphones.

A new generation of products

"We pioneered the smartphone industry; now we are applying that thinking to realize the potential of a new generation of connected products and services," Wang said.

"The overwhelming response that our virtual reality product, HTC Vive, received earlier this month underlines the importance of these new connected technologies for our future."

HTC won't be giving up on mobile and you can be sure it'll be pushing the new One M9 hard, but you can expect to see a greater onus on wearables, - such as the HTC Grip - tablets, VR devices and more from the company in the future.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.