I have said this in different circles and in different conversations after the whole drama between the US, China and Google HUAWEI began: there may come a time when HUAWEI may no longer need Google.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we are getting closer and closer to that. If not this year, probably 2022. The Chinese company is slowly but surely paving the way for independence, but above all for survival.
history
In May 2019, the Chinese company was added to the dreaded list of entities, and former President Trump banned the company through an executive order.
Some would argue that the problems started back in 2012 when the US imposed a ban on companies from using HUAWEI network hardware and equipment. According to others, the mobile side of the business may have gotten involved at CES 2018 in Las Vegas.
Remember when we all expected Richard Yu to take the stage and announce the availability of the Mate 10 Pro in the US. Well, AT&T pulled out at the last minute, and HUAWEI reached out to Verizon for the same treatment. Pressure from Congress was cited as a possible but unofficial reason for the move.
Whether the new government will lift the ban is not yet known, but if it does, it could be too late. HUAWEI may no longer need Google (along with other key technologies like software, hardware, patents, etc.) and the US will likely have the shorter end of the stick.
The HUAWEI ecosystem
What happens when a rich and smart tech company faces roadblocks? It directs all of its focus and efforts towards surpassing them and getting better and better in the process. I believe this is the case with HUAWEI as well.
Sure, there have been some dips in the company’s finances and image (not as big as you’d expect), but the Chinese tech giant got to work (and spent).
The first step in building your own (alternative) ecosystem was laying the foundation stone. HUAWEI no longer had access to Google Mobile Services (GMS) and put HMS at the center of its EMUI operating system (Android-based).
Then big investments were made in the core components as well as adding titles to a store (AppGallery), which was most useful for Chinese users who did not initially have access to Google.
The latest numbers the company released on the growth of the ecosystem in particular are nothing more than awards.
The google replacements
After losing access to Google and its services, the company began developing its own alternatives. No GMS? This is HMS. No google search? Enter the petal search (which has been repurposed into a full-fledged search engine by the original search engine just for apps). No google maps? We have petal cards. Do you see a (petal) pattern here?
HUAWEI is basically building its own ecosystem as an alternative to Google, which is not only built but controlled by the company itself.
Recently, a certain Petal Mail was released which, if we follow the pattern above, is likely to be an alternative to Gmail. All that’s left of the list above is a solution for YouTube (but I described how HUAWEI is currently handling this with its Quick Apps in my last Mate 40 Pro review).
… And when it’s time to pull the plug on Android and go All-In with HarmonyOS, the buzzer will sound. 🖕🏻
The final game?
Ultimately, HUAWEI doesn’t have much to lose at this point, but everything to gain. When the plug is pulled all the way, an independent ecosystem has been created that could be the third largest on day one after that of Google and Apple.
Why? Because even though it was recently dethroned in China, HUAWEI sells an insane amount of phones worldwide every year. We’re talking north of 200 million for the world’s third largest smartphone maker. With the push of a button (a firmware update), all existing phones with AppGallery as a sales platform and services under the umbrella of Petal could be converted into HarmonyOS devices.
With control over its own ecosystem (including operating system, app distribution and development, and services), HUAWEI could reinvent itself as a “self-sustaining” smartphone manufacturer that is independent of core / key / critical components from third-party vendors from Apple.
Where do you see HUAWEI? Is it right Will it succeed? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
Thank you for reading! Welcome to the editorial desk!
Anton D. Nagy
Anton is the editor-in-chief of Pocketnow. As a publication manager, he would like to bring Pocketnow even closer to you. His vision is primarily focused and focused on the audience. Anton’s goal, which has been adopted by the entire team, is to turn Pocketnow into a reference media company. Contact: [email protected]
