i-Mate Mobile Phones

He also chose HTC as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the O2 XDA, which played a significant role in starting HTC’s journey in mobile handset manufacturing. i-Mate was established to cater to the corporate market and used HTC as its manufacturing partner for 22 handsets.

The company, which had its headquarters in Dubai Internet City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, operated globally in regions including the UK, Italy, Armenia, Australia, India, the U.S., and South Africa. It went public on the London AIM Stock Market in November 2005 with a valuation of $350 million, which peaked at $989 million in 2006. However, i-Mate closed most of its business in September 2009. The company’s decline was attributed to several factors, including the failure of Microsoft to update their mobile operating system in competition with Apple’s iOS and Android, and HTC’s decision to become a competing brand rather than a partner. Despite a brief announcement in 2013 about a new device running on Windows 8, i-Mate had ceased to make a significant comeback in the mobile industry​.

The company’s downfall was also marred by controversy, with CEO Jim Morrison claiming a $15 million fraud by an unnamed board member as a critical factor in i-Mate’s demise. Despite Morrison’s efforts to save the company, including plans to wind down operations and potentially start a new company, i-Mate could not recover from its financial losses and operational challenges. This situation highlights the difficulties small-scale suppliers face in an industry dominated by giants like HTC and Samsung, where economies of scale are crucial​​.

Discover the complete list of i-Mate mobile phones with updated on April 2024. Check out latest i-Mate phones and watch full specifications and infos.