HTC shares fall after Apple blocks shipments to US

In one of the biggest shows of sneaky backhanding in the smartphone wars, Apple yesterday managed to block HTC smartphone shipments into the US after complaining to the ITC.

Apple’s complaint revolved around HTC phones infringing on a patent held by the Cupertino-based giant. While it’s not likely that anything will come of this claim, the delay in shipments while the ITC review it will dent HTC sales at a time when the iPhone 4S continues to sell strongly and the Samsung Galaxy S3 is just around the corner.

An HTC spokesperson said,

‘We believe we are in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with Customs to secure approval. The HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE have been received enthusiastically by customers and we appreciate their patience as we work to get these products into their hands as soon as possible.’

With the HTC One X and EVO 4G receiving positive reviews and reportedly strong sales, this news dents a recent run of good form. As a result of the news, HTC’s share prices dipped by 6.5% on the stock market.

Sneaky Apple will no doubt be happy with this decisive bit of oneupmanship over their rival.

[Source: SlashGear]