Microsoft stopped online sale of Huawei laptops after US ban on Chinese tech companies
25, May 2019
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CONTEXT:
- Microsoft has removed the Huawei laptops it sold on its online store. The move of Microsoft is to comply with the US President’s executive order to crack down on Chinese tech companies.
- Microsoft has declined to comment on the issue and also on reports of a potential Windows ban on Huawei. However, some offline Microsoft stores are reportedly still selling stocked Huawei laptops.
- 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.
- Google cut off Huawei’s Android license but Microsoft stayed silent on whether it will prevent the Chinese company from obtaining Windows licenses. For now, 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. However, this narrow extension does not seem to apply to Windows licenses for laptops.