SYLVIA MCKEOWN: Google ban will spur Huawei to roll out own operating system
Uncertainty surrounds the Chinese tech group’s future but it has been preparing to go it alone since 2012
Shock rippled through the twittersphere as tech reporters gasped in unison when Alphabet announced that Chinese cellphone monolith Huawei would be stripped of its Android operating system. The news stoked fierce debate among owners of the phones in various online comment sections. Some accused the US of bullying a company that threatened to outstrip it from a technical standpoint, and asked whether Huawei’s operating system (OS) might be better than Android’s given half a chance. Others tentatively wondered if they should follow through on their plans to buy Huawei phones now that they wouldn’t have access to key components of Google’s wheelhouse. The answers to these questions are not that simple, but any way you look at it, it’s a mess. Locally we are as much in the dark about Huawei’s future as anyone else. While SA is on the company’s list for early adoption and product roll-out, the local office has remained mum, sticking to the global message that “Huawei will continue to pro...
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