Microsoft looks set to be the latest in a long line of US-based technology companies that are complying with President Trump’s new executive order to crack down on Chinese tech companies. Google cut off Huawei’s Android license over the weekend, but Microsoft has stayed silent on whether it will prevent the Chinese company from obtaining Windows licenses. The Verge has reached out to Microsoft multiple times for comment, but it has refused to offer any statement on the situation.
Huawei’s MateBook X Pro is one of the best Windows laptops available in the US right now, but without a Windows license, it’s no longer a viable alternative to Apple’s MacBook Pro or the HP Spectre x360 and even Microsoft’s own Surface lineup. Microsoft appears to have stopped selling Huawei’s MateBook X Pro at the company’s online store, too.
A listing for the MateBook X Pro mysteriously disappeared over the weekend, and searching for any Huawei hardware brings up no results at the Microsoft Store. You can still find the laptop listing in a Google Cache of last week, though. The Verge understands that Microsoft retail stores are still selling existing MateBook X Pro laptops they have in stock.
Microsoft’s potential Windows ban could also affect Huawei’s server solutions. Microsoft and Huawei both operate a hybrid cloud solution for Microsoft’s Azure stack, using Microsoft-certified Huawei servers. Intel and Qualcomm will also need to follow the latest US government order. While Huawei has developed its own smartphone processors and modems, Intel supplies Huawei with server chips and the processors for its laptops. Huawei has reportedly been stockpiling chips, so the company is ready for such a ban to last for three months.
Huawei has also been working on replacements to both Windows and Android in recent years, but it’s not clear how well-developed these operating systems are. Huawei executive Richard Yu recently revealed that the company would “prefer to work with the ecosystems of Google and Microsoft.”
While Huawei has been granted a 90-day extension to provide software updates to Android-powered handsets and maintain “continued operation of existing networks and equipment,” this is a narrow extension that doesn’t seem to apply to Windows licenses for laptops.
Either way, if the ban extends any further, it could seriously damage Huawei. ZTE had to pause operations last year after a US trade ban for violating sanctions on Iran and North Korea left the company struggling. The US eventually lifted the ban after three months, but ZTE’s reputation and brand have been severely damaged as a result.
Comments
‘Own Version of Windows’ – probably a heavily customized version of Linux then.
By thedawn on 05.21.19 1:59pm
I would imagine so. From a software perspective, nothing has come out of a Chinese company to show their software chops, they are very well known for copying others though which is I’m sure what any alternative to Windows or Android will end up resembling minus the Windows and Android base, just take one look at EMUI on Huawei and MIUI on Xiaomi phones, no creativity at all, just blatant copies of a mix of Samsung’s skin and Apple’s iOS.
By jdmp10 on 05.21.19 2:04pm
Waaayyy back when, pre-Holo, I’d use a custom ROM on my Android phones to leverage MIUI because it was leaps and bounds better than what was on Android proper at the time. Holo was respectable/geeky looking and eventually Google and Samsung both figured out a decent UI, but early days Android were kind of whew.
By whlr on 05.21.19 2:27pm
Interesting because just a few years ago Samsung was seen as a blatant copycat (mostly of Apple). Just pointing this out to:
By farrow on 05.21.19 4:19pm
Just toe the party line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Kylin
By Dr Strange on 05.21.19 2:07pm
I’m not aware of a ban on Chinese tech companies… Last I check he was defending ZTE. We really need a compilation of all the rumors and facts on the reasoning behind this. I thought it was only because of Huawei’s military affiliations and perhaps some confidential government findings, that they can’t disclose to avoid exposing allies.
By Oldarney on 05.21.19 1:59pm
Yeah, and we’re not hearing nearly the same concern about Lenovo.
By ench on 05.21.19 2:16pm
There is no consistency when it comes to Trump. ZTE were clearly in breach of US trade rules and were banned but he let them off just to get a bit of publicity. Now he’s banned Huawei for supposed spying but its clearly part of his trade war on China.
The man is unstable
By Dr Strange on 05.21.19 2:16pm
I guess you weren’t paying attention during the 2016 campaign, when he must have said 10,000 times that he was purposely not going to be predictable, because the predictability of US presidents over the years has led to America getting its ass handed to it time after time. A little unpredictability seems to be exactly what we need. I’m sure after Trump eventually manages to get a good deal with China everyone here will write about how easy it was to do, and will conveniently forget about their "no consistency" comments.
By Speednet on 05.21.19 3:23pm
Yeah, sure. I was listening during the 2016 campaign and he came across as a lying cheating, egotistical, xenophobic prick. He’s consistently lived up to that.
By Dr Strange on 05.21.19 3:31pm
the "madman strategy" is just that—a strategy that works only for desperate lunatics in charge of failed states. Why is the leader of the most powerful nation on earth acting out of weakness? Answer: the country he runs is powerful but he himself is weak.
By Clinton Verley on 05.21.19 5:54pm
I bet you also believe he’s playing 4D chess…
By oghowie on 05.21.19 7:36pm
"America getting its ass handed to" Oh the poor Americans, always the victims and taken advantage of by everyone! It’s borderline psychotic to believe the US has been a victim on anything.
By superaaron99 on 05.21.19 8:02pm
He is totally predictable. He acts like Cersei. "Power is Power"
By Grossermanitu on 05.22.19 9:24am
he’s back against ZTE.
There’s a website that the purpose of it is to search his tweets and the most recent ones cast ZTE in a negative light again.
By whlr on 05.21.19 2:31pm
I’ve been wondering "why" for weeks now. It looks like Huawei has also been interacting with Iran. This was just published today: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/05/21/2019-10616/addition-of-entities-to-the-entity-list
Pursuant to § 744.11(b) of the EAR, the ERC has determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) has been involved in activities determined to be contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. To illustrate, Huawei has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on 13 counts of violating U.S. law (Superseding Indictment), including violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), by knowingly and willfully causing the export, reexport, sale and supply, directly and indirectly, of goods, technology and services (banking and other financial services) from the United States to Iran and the government of Iran without obtaining a license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as required by OFAC’s Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 560), and conspiracy to violate IEEPA by knowingly and willfully conspiring to cause the export, reexport, sale and supply, directly and indirectly, of goods, technology and services (banking and other financial services) from the United States to Iran and the government of Iran without obtaining a license from OFAC as required by OFAC’s Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 560). The Superseding Indictment also alleges that Huawei and an Iranian-based affiliate, working with others, knowingly and willfully conspired to impair, impede, obstruct, and defeat, through deceitful and dishonest means, the lawful government operations of OFAC.
By Peter Bark on 05.21.19 7:25pm
As a happy owner of a Matebook X Pro, this just plain sucks. I feel like this trade war is going to hurt consumers more than the parties involved.
I wonder if these bans on Chinese companies just going to create the preconditions for China to become the new 80’s and 90’s Japan. Are we just setting up a scenario where China just starts running laps around the competition, and in the US we have to settle for crappier products due to geopolitics.
By brandon.dean on 05.21.19 2:10pm
I’m not sure I agree with the back half of the speculation, but I agree with the first.
It is a shame, Matebook X Pro is a very nice laptop and one of the better ones as far as looks are concerned. It seems to be a MBP for Windows users. I know there’s the concerns about IP theft and all that that creates MbXP-like devices, but this has been a known thing for ages, yet manufacturing for the devices being copied is still there, so it seems the frustrations were weighed against other factors and aren’t that major apparently.
By whlr on 05.21.19 2:35pm
I am with you on this (as a fellow owner of a Matebook X Pro). As a owner, check to see if you can get the May 1903 update? It is out as of yesterday. My system won’t update and I am curious if others are seeing the same.
By James Commodore on 05.22.19 9:01am
I’m still on the 1803 update. Since it just came out, it might me a few days before it automatically checks and installs the update. You can also go and manually get the update (which is what I am in the process of doing now).
By brandon.dean on 05.22.19 10:19am
I would have installed Linux from day 1… But if I can get a deal on it… It might become an excellent discount Linux machine
By Oldarney on 05.22.19 12:46pm
Do I need to sell my son’s Matebook now?
By FrankMotion on 05.21.19 2:12pm
yep
By PdroPM on 05.21.19 2:15pm
Sell your son as well. Better to be safe than sorry.
By NaeemTHM on 05.21.19 2:34pm
What about getting a privat windows and install it on it
By Grossermanitu on 05.22.19 9:26am