Huawei has its own operating systems ready to replace Android and Windows in case of a ban

[midian182]

In brief: The battle between the US government and Huawei is showing no signs of abating. But should the situation get worse, the Chinese tech giant is prepared to use its own proprietary operating systems in its many mobile products.

The US has long accused Huawei of spying at the behest of the Chinese government, but tension between the two has reached new highs since the start of 2018, culminating in the recent arrest of CFO Meng Wanzhou—the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei.

A next possible step by the US could be banning American companies from doing business with Huawei. The same punishment was handed out to ZTE last year over sanctions violations. In the few months before the trade ban was lifted, the company was affected so badly that it ceased major operating activities.

Should Huawei face the same ban, it will at least be more prepared. The firm has been working on an operating system that could replace Android since 2012 when the US opened an investigation into both ZTE and itself, according to the South China Morning Post. We heard more about this OS in 2016.

“We have prepared our own operating system, if it turns out we can no longer use these systems [Android], we will be ready and have our plan B,” said Huawei mobile chief Richard Yu Chengdong, in an interview with German publication Die Welt.

Banning Huawei from using Android and Windows sounds extreme, but with the US asking its allies not to use the company’s 5G equipment and even threatening to withhold intel from Germany if it does so, such a move isn’t out of the question.

While Huawei uses its own Kirin processors in most of its phones, a ban on American products would have big repercussions for its laptop line, which, in addition to using Windows, relies on processors from Intel.

For its part, Huawei says it hopes to avoid this worst-case scenario. "We fully support our partners' operating systems -- we love them and our customers love them. Android and Windows will always remain our first choices," said a spokesperson.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/79206-huawei-has-own-operating-systems-ready-replace-android.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Does their OS have blackjack and hookers too?

 

[Badvok]

Maybe if they used their own OS on phones they'd actually be able to deliver updates.

 

[GregonMaui]

This is the real canary in the coal mine, of outsourcing tech. Why would foreign countries perpetuate dominance of American chipmakers and software vendors once they have reached parity? Korean and Chinese forms have shown that their chip development equals or exceeds that of Qualcomm (the Kirin and Exynos chips are usually faster than their Qualcomm counterparts), so why continue to rely on them? The US wants to have a backdoor to encryption in smart phones, why is this acceptable to them?

This has always been the weak link of outsourcing. Once you set up the factories, train the managers and engineers, the outsourcing talent pool keeps growing. Eventually the outsourced products are superior to your own products.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

This is the real canary in the coal mine, of outsourcing tech. Why would foreign countries perpetuate dominance of American chipmakers and software vendors once they have reached parity?

Because people in China want to buy iPhones.

I wouldn't be surprised if companies are banned from doing business with them. China wants to be the biggest world super power and they've caught up to the US extremely fast. They've done it by stealing intellectual property, and they aren't going to stop now. The future will bring all sorts of new technology to steal. American businesses aren't going to sit around and watch Chinese imports outsell their own products that were built on tech stolen from THEM... they're going to demand the govt do something. What should the govt do? Because the tough talk and scolding isn't very effective.

 

[amghwk]

Don't understand the paranoia of US against Huawei...(maybe US is behind in the tech race against the Chinese in the advancement in 5G?)... but I'm very happy with my Mate 20 X.

(So Huawei is collecting information and sending my information of this nameless, faceless, unimportant guy amongst millions? So...what?)

 

[GregonMaui]

Because people in China want to buy iPhones.

I wouldn't be surprised if companies are banned from doing business with them. China wants to be the biggest world super power and they've caught up to the US extremely fast. They've done it by stealing intellectual property, and they aren't going to stop now. The future will bring all sorts of new technology to steal. American businesses aren't going to sit around and watch Chinese imports outsell their own products that were built on tech stolen from THEM... they're going to demand the govt do something. What should the govt do? Because the tough talk and scolding isn't very effective.

Like the US did when it outsourced steel making, ship building, TV, radios, memory chips, cars, glass, appliances, ........ No, our government has made a concerted effort of off-shoring jobs for decades, what makes anyone believe it will change now? Remember the "globalization" of the economy arguments from the 90's and 00's, pushed by anti-regulatory, anti-government hawks? Those who wanted to go slow and balance for things like social security, labor markets, the environment were labelled as protectionist.

Simply go online to FRED, and look at total manufacturing employment in the US, it declines steadily for years, then drops off a cliff during the financial crisis of 2008, then grew slowly and steadily since.

 

[Burty117]

Don't understand the paranoia of US against Huawei...

Neither do most of the US's allies and are basically ignoring the US on this one.

(maybe US is behind in the tech race against the Chinese in the advancement in 5G?)

Well, I mean, on one hand, companies like Qualcomm are ready with 5G modems, then on the other hand, Intel are years away, so 50/50? The issue is probably that Chinese tech is cheaper and Trump doesn't want the US buying so much Chinese tech. So what do you do?Just scream it's a security risk, fits the narrative very nicely as well.

I'm very happy with my Mate 20 X.

So are loads of people, I have Huawei's first Smartwatch, it still gets updates, it's on the latest Android Wear and Firewall's and traffic management and insight is becoming my area of expertise and I haven't seen anything particularly dodgy coming from the device. If it is sending data back, all it can tell them is my Google account details (so my name and age?) and how many steps I've taken today...

(So Huawei is collecting information and sending my information of this nameless, faceless, unimportant guy amongst millions? So...what?)

What's funny about this statement is it come across like only Huawei or the "Chinese" are doing this. Yet it's American companies caught out on a near weekly basis doing something similar or worse...

 

[ThanosPAS]

It is not going to happen. Google knows better than creating and solidifying the circumstances for a capable entrant to compete in its core business than having this entrant being dependent on them. If now a product gets in the market out of necessity, in 10 years it may dominate the field.

 

[netman]

I would buy Huawei phone when they bring their own OS...

 

[mat9v]

Well, nobody really can prohibit Huawei from using Android, it is Open Source after all. Google CAN ban their phones from PlayStore but Huawei and other Chinese vendors have their own shops anyway, most phone sold in China does not have PlayStore installed. It would be counterproductive for Huawei to create their own OS when they can reuse all that is working in China. So yeah, PlayStore ban would eliminate Huawei or any other company from PlayStore, nothing more - only question is if the replacement store would be popular and how many apps would be in it.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Like the US did when it outsourced steel making, ship building, TV, radios, memory chips, cars, glass, appliances, ........ No, our government has made a concerted effort of off-shoring jobs for decades, what makes anyone believe it will change now? Remember the "globalization" of the economy arguments from the 90's and 00's, pushed by anti-regulatory, anti-government hawks? Those who wanted to go slow and balance for things like social security, labor markets, the environment were labelled as protectionist.

Simply go online to FRED, and look at total manufacturing employment in the US, it declines steadily for years, then drops off a cliff during the financial crisis of 2008, then grew slowly and steadily since.

This has nothing to do with jobs.
I'm talking about Chinese companies stealing plans for products so they can make the products themselves and then sell them back to Americans. You're talking about American companies shipping jobs offshore. These are two totally different things.

If Apple sends the jobs offshore then Americans will buy products from Apple that are made in China. If China steals the plans - then the Apple accessories will be made by XYZ electronics and they'll just put Apple stickers on them and call them Apple. Putting someone else's name on your products, or using their plans and calling them your own is illegal in the US/Europe/Canada/Japan.

 

[stevae]

Does their OS have blackjack and hookers too?

They probably stole 95% of it from M$ and Google!!!!! The Chinese aren't smart enough to invent anything on their own, but they are "clever" enough to steal anything from anybody... I would NEVER buy ANY device from a Chinese company. They have been caught stealing tech so many times... And in recent years, they've been punished for putting spy hardware into their devices. Why would anyone be dumb enough to buy a Chinese electronics device???????

 

[stevae]

This is the real canary in the coal mine, of outsourcing tech. Why would foreign countries perpetuate dominance of American chipmakers and software vendors once they have reached parity? Korean and Chinese forms have shown that their chip development equals or exceeds that of Qualcomm (the Kirin and Exynos chips are usually faster than their Qualcomm counterparts), so why continue to rely on them? The US wants to have a backdoor to encryption in smart phones, why is this acceptable to them?

This has always been the weak link of outsourcing. Once you set up the factories, train the managers and engineers, the outsourcing talent pool keeps growing. Eventually the outsourced products are superior to your own products.

Yeah, because the real bad guys here is the US, huh? *****ic thoughts. The Chinese NEED these partnerships because it is the easiest way to continue stealing intellectual property. How you can paint the US companies as the bad guys here is shallow thinking, and doesn't ring sincere at all.