If you want an HTC One, grab it as soon as you can; the component shortages that delayed the phone for six weeks could be starting up again.
This time it isn't HTC's fault. A court in Amsterdam has ruled that the supplier for the microphone in the HTC One had previously signed a yearlong exclusivity deal with Nokia. That means STMicroelectronics must stop selling the parts to HTC for the next 10 months. Nokia uses the same mic in its Lumia 720. HTC won't be liable for any damages since it had no way of knowing the exclusivity deal was in effect when it bought the parts.
The injunction doesn't stop HTC from selling One devices it's already produced, but it will have a hard time sourcing the component to make more. If the ruling stands, HTC will need to find another supplier, which could be a difficult task.
Earlier this year, industry insiders revealed HTC is no longer considered a "tier one" customer, after a spotty order history during a sales slump last year, so suppliers have already stopped prioritizing the manufacturer.
HTC has had trouble keeping up with demand for the One; its 32GB unlocked model sold through it website is out of stock for the second time in as many weeks, and many customers still can't get a hold of the black model.
Of course, another manufacturer could take advantage of the situation and step up to offer HTC the parts it needs, perhaps with a steep markup. That's assuming those parts are even out there. HTC has long touted the impressive new tech in the One, and many of its components are rare and difficult to produce.
The HTC One features a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch 1920x1080 pixel widescreen Super LCD 3 display, a 2300 mAh Li-Po battery, a 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera with enhanced low-light sensitivity with 1080p HD video, up to 64GB of internal storage and runs Android 4.1.2.
Check back for the latest updates on the HTC One as they become available.