Microsoft Boots Huawei Laptops From Online Store Following Trump Edict
Things have gone terribly wrong for Huawei in the U.S. market as President Trump has declared the Chinese tech company off limits. The moves by the Trump Administration have forced companies with tech designed in the U.S. to stop doing business with Huawei. So far this month, Huawei has seen Google, Intel, Qualcomm, and ARM cut ties. Not only does that prevent Huawei from getting their products, but it also prevents Huawei from working on its chips as it licenses patents from some of the companies for its hardware.
Microsoft has now kicked all Huawei laptops off its online store. If you search for Huawei on the Microsoft store the only returns are for a few apps; there are no hardware devices from the Chinese company. The new Trump restrictions mean that Microsoft can no longer supply the Windows operating system to Huawei. When asked about the move a Microsoft spokesman told CNN that Microsoft was offering no comment.
The loss of access to Microsoft's Windows operating system is seen as a significantly lesser blow to the Chinese firm than the loss of Android, as it has a very small portion of the global laptop market to its credit. Huawei has only 2% of the global laptop market according to research firm Canalys. The big blow is in losing access to the Android operating system as that means no access to big Android apps like Google Maps. Huawei has stated that it had been building alternative operating systems and an alternative app store in case of U.S. bans on its devices.
Having no access to Windows, the most popular PC operating system in the world, and no access to full Android will certainly hurt the business, especially in the smartphone realm. Canalys said that a new homegrown operating system would be a "tough sell."
