Microsoft store secretly dumps Huawei products
Microsoft has quietly scrubbed the Matebook X Pro from its online store
The Huawei Matebook X Pro is no longer available on the Microsoft Store. The news comes in the wake of a trying week for the Chinese manufacturer: the US government recently enforced a ban on trade with the company that will ultimately lead to Huawei losing access to crucial technology.
It has already been confirmed that Google will no longer supply Huawei with an Android licence, revoking its access to Google Play services and other relevant software. It’s widely assumed that in tandem with this suspension of service from Google, fellow tech giant Microsoft will also conclude its business arrangements with Huawei.
Thus far, Microsoft has remained pretty silent on the topic, refusing to either confirm or deny whether it will be revoking Huawei’s Windows licence. Over the weekend, however, Microsoft quietly removed the Huawei Matebook X Pro – the only Huawei laptop it stocks – from its online store. The Verge reports that retailers will continue to sell the laptops until stock runs out.
To all intents and purposes, then, it seems that the tech firm is complying with the trade ban enforced by the US government. This is hardly surprising stuff – Microsoft is required to do so by law – but it also implies that Huawei might well lose access to future Windows updates, meaning that purchasing a Huawei laptop is thoroughly inadvisable at the moment.
Given that Microsoft is reluctant to comment, it’s still unclear whether existing customers will find their Huawei laptop no longer receives Windows updates. Google has reassured current Huawei customers that they will notice no change in their services in the coming months; presumably, Microsoft will do the same.