ASUS recently said it was still interested in a potential acquisition of HTC but apparently HTC has no intention of selling. Jonney Shih, ASUS' chairman, said he had considered a deal with HTC but the Taiwanese phone maker has hit back hard in response to the statement. "We strongly deny the news. We didn't contact Asustek and will not consider the acquisition," says HTC.

HTC is struggling as a smartphone maker and that had provided the general public with at least one reason to believe HTC would consider a deal with ASUS. Due to its struggles, HTC is also worth less than it previously was, making it a more attractive buy for ASUS.