Huawei has explained that its ambition to become the number one manufacturer of smartphones around the world will have to wait after recent events.
“We would have become the largest in the fourth quarter (of this year), but now we feel that this process may take more time,” said Shao Yang, director of strategy at Huawei Consumer Business Group.
Earlier this year, the Chinese manufacturer surpassed Apple as number two in the world and said it believed it would beat Samsung “as soon as this year, or next year at the latest.”
This forecast already had in mind that their smartphones would not be sold in the United States, where the company has been finding difficulties to enter a long time, but it was before it was forbidden to trade with American companies.
While many smartphone manufacturers have suffered the effects of market saturation, Huawei has managed to achieve a relevant position thanks to devices with good features at affordable prices. In addition, in the high range, the company has managed to innovate in aspects as important as photography.
Gizchina News of the week
However, the good performance of the company has suffered a major setback by the decision made last month by the US Department of Commerce that prohibited US companies from doing business with Huawei, which means that the company’s phones they will no longer receive updates from Google’s Android operating system or access to their popular applications.
The consequences exceed the initial forecast, as chip designer ARM, based in Britain, has told its employees to suspend all their activities with Huawei.
Critics fear that Huawei has ties to the Chinese government and that its teams may have backdoors that serve as a platform for state-sponsored espionage or for the closure of the network at a time when mobile infrastructure is becoming a part of the network and a member of everyday life.
