HTC chief Peter Chou sticks up for Nexus One

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HTC's chief executive Peter Chou has branded the Google Nexus One a success despite its broadly disappointing sales performance since launching in January.

According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, the Nexus One, which is manufactured by HTC, had sold around 135,000 units by mid-March. But instead of castigating its poorer-than-expected reception since its January 5 debut, the HTC chief says he is delighted.

“Google's goal with the Nexus One was to show what Android is capable of,” Chou is reported by Forbes to have said at CTIA in Las Vegas earlier this week. “In that regard I think it has been an achievement. We can quickly leverage that credit to show that we are the top Android brand.”

Chou is referring of course to the HTC Desire, which launches in the UK next week with an all-but-identical feature set to the Nexus One aside from HTC's Sense UI overlay to the Android 2.1 OS.

Otherwise it shares the same 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 3.7in AMOLED touch screen, five megapixel camera with 480p video and Wi-Fi capability as its Google counterpart.

Though he didn't comment directly about the Nexus One's sales figures, Chou did defend its record – despite three-month figures that are seven times lower than the Motorola Droid when it first launched last year, for example. “Considering Google didn't do [standard] retail or marketing for it, the Nexus One is doing pretty well,” he said.

The Nexus One is sold directly through Google's own online store, rather than through standard mobile providers. Thus far it has only been available in the US, though it is expected to launch locally next month.

Chou argued that the Nexus One was a “halo” product designed to drive more business to Google's Android partners and shine the way for their product development.

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