Huawei admitted this week that it has developed its own smartphone and PC operating systems as an emergency measure. The telecommunications giant is worried that relations with the U.S. will degrade so badly that it might be forced to stop using Android and Windows.
“We have prepared our own operating systems, if it turns out we can no longer use these systems, we will be ready and have our plan B,” Huawei mobile chief Richard Yu Chengdong told Die Welt, a Germany-based newspaper. This admission follows earlier rumors that Huawei had been working on its own operating systems since at least early 2018.
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“Huawei does have backup systems but only for use in extenuating circumstances,” Huawei confirmed to the South China Morning Post. “We don’t expect to use them, and to be honest, we don’t want to use them. We fully support our partners’ operating systems – we love using them and our customers love using them. Android and Windows will always remain our first choices.”
The impetus for this work was a previous U.S. ban on ZTE, another China-based telecommunications giant. And of course Huawei has been under fire by the U.S. government ever since: The firm finally sued the U.S. government for its baseless accusations and charges last week.
The big question here, of course, is compatibility. It’s not enough to create alternatives to both Android and Windows; those systems must run the applications and services that are designed for those systems too. But there’s no word in today’s report about how the firm expects to accomplish that.
provision l-3
<p>Just my 2c, but I think they should just go all in with them now. If you can make make your own and make it compelling why bother being dependent on someone else? Apple has shown that the approach works. You may not be king when it comes to marketshare but it clearly is a potentially profitable road and the more competition the better. </p>
provision l-3
<blockquote><em><a href="#412253">In reply to pyore:</a></em></blockquote><p>Google and Apple had zero app support when they came into the phone OS business and seemed to have managed just fine. </p>
BrianEricFord
<blockquote><em><a href="#412252">In reply to provision l-3:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>There’s no way. Developers aren’t looking for a third mobile platform and the reason they don’t want to do it is because of that issue AND it’s hard to make a good OS. I suspect their in-house OS sucks. </p><p><br></p><p>If they were to have to abandon Android and Windows for legal reasons, why wouldn’t developers for the apps that matter be an issue as well?</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#412285">In reply to BrianEricFord:</a></em></blockquote><p>While developing a new OS isn't trivial, it's a lot easier to do today than it was at the time Windows or even Linux was developed. </p><p><br></p><p>If it caught on in China it would present a big opportunity for developers to get their foot in the door early. When apps are scarce but interest is high more modest apps will be adopted. This is what happened in the early days of DVDs when people wanted movies to play but very few top titles were available. You bought what you could find.</p>
provision l-3
<blockquote><em><a href="#412332">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>Woo!!! someone gets where I'm coming from </p>
provision l-3
<blockquote><em><a href="#412285">In reply to BrianEricFord:</a></em></blockquote><p>I totally agree that making a good OS is hard and there was a reason is said "make it compelling".</p><p><br></p><p>Developers had Palm, Blackberry and Windows CE or whatever it was called back in the day and weren't looking for a new OS when iOS and Android came along. The long and the short of it is that if you can make something really compelling, not just good but compelling then customer will come to you and if they do so will developers. </p>
provision l-3
<blockquote><em><a href="#412287">In reply to A_lurker:</a></em></blockquote><p>Being compelling was a big part of my comment. iOS worked not because of Apple's brand or their because they had been around since the 70s. It worked because people looked at the iPhone and then looked at their phone and said "F*ck this". </p>
provision l-3
<blockquote><em><a href="#412291">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Microsoft had some interesting ideas with Windows Mobile or whatever it was that they released post iPhone but it wasn't a compelling reason to move away from iOS or Android. What I am saying is that if they have something compelling like the iPhone was initially then they should go all in with it. </p>
HirishoSenju
<p>Does Paul have his own collection of Intel that has him convinced that the Chinese are not harming the USA? He calls it baseless. What's his proof?</p>
PeterC
<p>Huawei hired ex Nokia staff back in early 2016 for this project. It’s not a dev project in its infancy, it’s been ongoing behind th scenes for a good few years already.</p><p><br></p><p>if you look you’ll find a lot of ex Nokia staff employed at Huawei. </p>
PeterC
<blockquote><em><a href="#412676">In reply to Hoomgar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yup it’s true. They had their EMUI working on Sailfish OS (meego) back then too as a test I recall. They aquired and established a sizeable dev centre in Finland ( ex Nokia) back then but I’m not sure if it’s still the dev hub.</p>