HTC unveiled its upper-mid-range One A9 handset last month - but its announcement was slightly tainted by the fact that it is charging UK buyers a huge premium for an inferior version of the device, compared with the model that it"s offering in the US.
But those who have pre-ordered the device in the States are also getting a share of disappointment and frustration from HTC, as the company has delayed shipments of the new handset there.
Android Police put together a detailed explanation of the rather messy and complicated situation that HTC has created, but here are some of the key points:
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HTC emailed customers who ordered the silver and grey version of the One A9 to inform them of a delay pushing shipments back past its original November 6 release date; some customers will now receive those models from tomorrow (Nov 10), but others will have to wait longer.
- While it briefly mentioned in its October launch announcement that the red and gold versions would arrive "several weeks" after the silver and grey models, HTC failed to make any mention of that fact on its pre-order pages (although this has since been corrected on its site). As a result, many customers pre-ordering the red or gold models expected to receive shipment at the same time as the silver and grey models - which was never actually part of HTC"s plans.
- The first indication of a longer wait for those customers who ordered a red or gold One A9 - but who didn"t watch the launch announcement - was the email that they received from HTC in recent days informing them of an additional delay. Gold versions will now not ship until the end of this month, and red models are estimated to ship in mid-December.
- The Verizon model - which was originally promised shortly after the November 6 launch, and then December, won"t be shipping this year. In fact, HTC isn"t even estimating a shipment date any more, saying only that it "won"t be available in December", but will arrive "as soon as possible".
- The off-contract Sprint models have been delayed until the end of November for the silver and grey versions; and mid-December for red and gold. (Sprint is also charging almost $700 for the device, which HTC initially launched at $399.99 off-contract, and has now priced at $499.99.)
Android Police also states that HTC"s PR team told the publication on November 3 that pre-order shipments would go ahead on November 6 as originally promised.
Source: Android Police