It appears that Huawei is on the verge of a significant shift in its PC strategy. According to local Chinese media reports, the company is set to launch a PC in April that runs on its own HarmonyOS operating system. This move comes as the license for Windows on Huawei’s MateBook PCs, provided by Microsoft, is due to expire this month. As early as September 2024, Richard Yu, a Huawei executive, hinted that US sanctions could lead to the company not receiving a Windows license renewal.
The US Department of Commerce added Huawei to its entity list, citing national security and foreign policy concerns, and banned US companies from selling components to Huawei without a government license. As a result, Huawei anticipates that it will not receive a Windows license renewal, and existing Windows PCs may be the last of their kind. In the future, the company plans to rely on its own HarmonyOS, which is based on open-source Android.
After being blacklisted by the US, Huawei began developing HarmonyOS in 2019 as a way to circumvent restrictions on accessing Android and Windows. Later, in 2024, the company launched HarmonyOS NEXT, which was used in the Mate 70 and Mate X6, marking a significant departure from Android. Additionally, Huawei plans to expand HarmonyOS to support smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and laptops.
Recent reports suggest that Huawei will unveil a new laptop called the “AI PC” in April, which will feature the company’s own Kunpeng CPU, HarmonyOS for PC, and various AI-driven applications like DeepSeek. Furthermore, the company will launch the MateBook D16 Linux Edition, its first Linux-based laptop, which will retain the same hardware as the current MateBook D16 but replace Windows with Linux.
However, despite Huawei’s efforts to promote HarmonyOS, the operating system has only gained traction in China. In European and US markets, Windows dominates with a 70% share, followed by macOS at 16%, and Linux at around 3.8%, primarily used by developers. As Huawei navigates this challenging landscape, it remains to be seen how the company’s PC strategy will evolve in the face of ongoing US sanctions and market competition.