New rumours have again tied HTC to the much anticipated Nexus 9, suggesting that Google has chosen HTC to collaborate on the new tablet.
HTC had all but sworn off making tablets after disappointing sales of its HTC Flyer tablet, but the prospect of a partnership with Nexus might well have changed the company's mind.
The rumours come from a source who contacted the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Google has chosen HTC over competitors such as Samsung to manufacture the Nexus 9.
A Game of Phone makers
The Wall Street Journal's source claims HTC engineers have been visiting the Googleplex in Mountain View over the past months to work on the project.
If these whispers of HTC working with Google to build the Nexus 9 tablet are true, then a few eyebrows may be raised at Google's choice of partner.
Whilst HTC's smartphones have been impressing critics, such as the HTC One M8 (which we recently declared the Phone of the Year), the fact that it has been rather quiet on the tablet front has made it a surprise choice for some people.
However, the choice of HTC over competitors like Samsung isn't too surprising when you consider Google's habit of changing partners from one device to the next. According the the source, Google does this to prevent any manufacturer from gaining a monopoly on Android devices.
Some form of Game of Thrones-esque political manoeuvring could explain the choice of HTC, as Google has apparently been worried about Samsung's growing influence in the Android market for a while now, though a 10-year patent agreement between the two companies earlier this year has helped smooth out some animosity.
Even so, HTC's strong smartphone showing is another reason why Google would choose the company. It has experience with Nexus devices having made the first Nexus smartphone, the Nexus One way back in 2010.
These latest rumours, alongside an accidental leak by Nvidia earlier this month that saw HTC outed as the manufacturer of the new Nexus 9 in court documents, makes it very likely that the Taiwanese company will be partnering with Google for the Nexus 9.
Hopefully we won't have too long to wait to find out what Google has in store with the Nexus 9.
