Though the most HTC would say about their patent settlement with Apple was that they didn't expect the process to "have an adverse material impact on the financials of the company," analyst Shaw Wu says they may be paying upwards of $6 - $8 per device in licensing fees starting in 2013. This would span both Android and Windows Phone devices, and could amount to between $180 and $280 million in fees. That's not an awful lot to Apple, but sure is more substantial than HTC was letting on.
Though Apple isn't doing quite as well in their patent battles against Samsung lately, it's understandable that they may be less willing to settle with a manufacturer in a much more powerful position than HTC. HTC has been hurting for some time now, and if these licensing fees turn out to be true, it won't do their balance sheet any favors.
Of course, analysts are well-known for their imagination, so take the $6 - $8 figure with a grain of salt. Is there any chance that Apple and HTC actually resolved their patent complaints without money changing hands? Maybe they reached some sort of cross-licensing deal?
Via: CNET
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