[citation][nom]dns7950[/nom]HTC working with Apple? Ok, I guess I`m boycotting HTC... Oh well, they aren't the best manufacturer anyway.. And they'll only go downhill from here... This title article is misleading, it makes it sound like Apple has better technology.. Oh wait, its another Zak article.. I guess i shouldn't have expected something unbiased.[/citation]
HTC going downhill, yes, definitely, but this is more due to their inexistant marketing rather than the quality of their hardware. The HTC's have a nice finish, offered decent screens ages before the competitors started to increase the resolution and Sense adds plenty of little extra features that make it more usable than a stock Android. Some people hate Sense, some adore it, but at least they do the effort to propose a different product.
Many of the negative opinions about HTC dates from the user experience with early Windows Mobile devices and the first Android models, when HTC was almost alone in the desert with their devices. But they evolved in a good way and the OS's as well.
For the agreement with Apple, remember that HTC has long ago agreed to pay licenses to Microsoft well before other manufacturers to ensure their devices had features like being able to sync with exchange servers when it wasn't in the realm of possibilities for other Android devices. You can pay to ensure that you can offer some features to your customer or try to sell a phone that may bring you into a court and then need to remove those features from future firmware upgrades... As a customer, I'd hate to invest in a device from the second one...