One week after HTC confirmed that the launch of its new One smartphone would face slight delays in some parts of the globe, more details concerning the situation have been revealed. According to unnamed HTC executives speaking to The Wall Street Journal, shipments of the One have been delayed due to shortages of parts for the unit's camera and metal body. "HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer," One exec said, explaining that the Taiwanese device maker is having a problem managing its parts suppliers since it has altered its order forecasts heavily and frequently after a drop in device shipments in 2012.

While HTC says that it's having a hard time securing the components that it needs for its One, it's working hard to fill as many orders as it can. HTC CMO Benjamin Ho reiterated that his company is planning to begin fulfilling preorders "in certain markets" through the end of March, with launches in more markets planned for April.

Many folks have said that the One is an important device for HTC, which has been struggling a bit in the smartphone market lately. The device may bring about a big change at HTC if it doesn't do well, as the WSJ claims to have been told by its sources that HTC CEO Peter Chou told other company executives late last year that he would step down from his position if the One doesn't succeed. 

This component-related delay is taking away time that the One could be spending in front of the faces of potential buyers and is also reducing the amount of time that the One will have by itself on shelves before the arrival of Samsung's Galaxy S 4. It remains to be seen exactly how much of a delay the One will face in affected markets, but I'm sure that HTC is working as hard as it can to secure the parts that it needs to get the One into stores. The HTC One is set to launch on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the U.S., but so far neither the carriers nor HTC have said when the device will be launching here.

Via The Wall Street Journal