HTC Ditching 12-Inch Windows RT Plans

HTC is reported to have cancelled plans for its new 12-inch Windows RT tablet.

According to reports, the company, realizing weak market demand for the Windows-based operating system, has decided to ditch the device.

The report also claims that the high cost for simply developing the tablet would have made HTC require steep sales pricing to make up the cost. It has been suggested that the price to sell the tablet would be higher than most consumers would be willing to spend.

HTC is still believed to be working on a 7-inch Windows RT tablet. The 7-inch device is expected to launch in the second half of 2013 and featured lower production costs and a better return on investment for the struggling tech firm.

Ditching a high-end Windows RT device was likely the right decision for HTC. Windows has been suffering through mediocre sales of its own Surface devices running on the Windows RT OS. If users are unwilling to buy a software suite from the OEM, they would likely not pay more for an HTC device that runs the same beleaguered OS.

Windows RT has been largely criticized for its inability to run legacy Windows applications. The platform has also been mocked for its failure to differentiate itself from the Windows 8 platform.

HTC continues to experience a rapid decline in smartphone sales at the hands of Apple and Samsung. With sales continuing to decrease, it appears as if HTC executives are becoming more self-conscious about the choices they make in terms of hardware.

Would you be willing to pay a higher premium for a 12-inch HTC tablet running Windows RT?