HTC held an event in New York City today, announcing and unveiling the Windows Phone version of the One M8.
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The device is virtually identical to the main One M8 model, the main exception of course being the software. Rather than the latest version of Android, the One M8 for Windows will be running Windows 8.1, and it will be exclusive to U.S. Verizon customers.
Though the service provider limitation is disappointing, good news for Windows Phone devotees is the $99 price point, provided you're purchasing the device with a new two-year contract. You can also pay for it in $29 monthly payments through Verizon's Edge plan, and it will be available this Wednesday.
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The One M8 for Windows will also come with the NFL Mobile app (not a very surprising offer, given the mega deal between Microsoft and the NFL, which has resulted in multiple partnership opportunities) and a year of game-streaming.
The expanded ecosystem will give HTC (struggling for sales) another audience to market the phone to, but it may not make much of an impact overall. The numbers suggest Windows Phone controls a miniscule portion of phone market share, only a portion of which may switch to the One M8 for Windows. Perhaps if Windows Phone can continue to gain support (maybe with the help of the One M8) HTC will benefit in the long run, but it's hard to see this impacting overall sales significantly--especially given the current U.S. and Verizon-only status.
