HTC Corporation has said on Monday it will put equal investment weight on emerging markets next year as it does in developed ones like the United States and Europe, and will dip its toes back into the tablet market with a new model next year.Reuters reported that the worlds number four smartphone maker also said it was "open-minded" about patent acquisitions to raise the stakes in its legal battles with Apple Incorporation, but it had no specific plan at the moment.HTC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Chou, told a media briefing that HTC would not give up its "premium brand" image by expanding in emerging markets through cheap phones."Customers are willing to pay more, thats why we have grown nearly five times in China this year. It shows that customers support our philosophy," he said.The company had only released a single tablet model, back in February, opting to focus on other phones instead. But Chou said the company was still eyeing the market."Tablet is a market we would like to try and test, to see whether we can make ourselves stand out and prevent a me-too product," he said.HTC was one of the largest manufacturers of devices based on Googles Android operating system. Google Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Eric Schmidt, would visit Taipei on Wednesday and was expected to talk to local vendors, but Chou said he would be in China and might not be able to meet Schmidt.HTC was embroiled in an acrimonious patent war with arch-rival Apple, which had filed several patent lawsuits against the Taiwan-based company in the last two years. The suits were in part about Android.Last Monday, HTC warned its sales in the fourth quarter, traditionally a bumper sales season for smartphones, would drop below the previous quarter and below analysts forecasts as competition heats up and strapped consumers spend lessHTC, which in a few years had risen from obscure origins as a manufacturer for others to become a top brand, would lose market share to Apple and South Koreas Samsung in the race for holiday season sales, analysts said.HTC had a fairytale ride in 2010 and early 2011, with its shares more than tripling in the 14 months to April 2011 and sales growing four-fold in one and a half years as consumers snapped up its innovative phones with their distinctive large clock numerals.It moved up one spot on the league table in terms of shipments last quarter, surpassing Research in Motion to become the fourth largest smartphone vendor in the world, according to tech research company International Data Corporation.
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