Things just don’t seem to ever go right for HTC, do they? Just as it’s been generating a lot of hype and acclaim for its new HTC One (M8) flagship smartphone, it looks like the man behind the One (M8)’s killer design is leaving the company. The Verge reports that Scott Croyle, who has “led HTC’s industrial design and user experience teams since his One & Co studio was acquired in 2008,” will be departing the company to work on unspecified new projects.
HTC tells The Verge that Croyle’s exit will be a “long-term transition” and that he won’t be leaving immediately. Instead, he’ll gradually hand off his duties to others within the company, including the design of the next big HTC flagship phone. Croyle’s exit may also signal that HTC CEO Peter Chou will become much more involved in the design process, as The Verge says that he’s been eager to get back to working on product designs while letting HTC chairwoman Cher Wang handle the business side of the company.
BGR reviewed the HTC One (M8) earlier this year and found that it was the best Android smartphone on the planet. Although past HTC products have also featured killer designs, they still haven’t helped stop the decline in HTC’s handset sales and profits, which have both been eaten into over the past few years by Samsung.
