Tech giant Google has confirmed that the US government’s ban on sales to Huawei mean that the Chinese vendor’s smartphones will be locked out of access to Google’s Play Store.
Users are speculating that without access to the Play Store, the device’s functionality will be pretty insignificant.
There’s no doubt that the smartphone was one of the most transformational inventions of the last twenty years. Statista estimates that today, around 94% of adults own a smartphone, and that around 86% of 12 to 18 year olds regularly use one.
Many would argue that the introduction of Apple’s App Store in 2008 and Google’s counterpart, the Play Store, later that year, were as relevant as the launch of the smartphone itself. The development of third party Apps quickly become crucial. Apple’s ‘There’s an App for that’ campaign highlighted the endless possibilities available for users. How will Huawei fair without being able to tap into this legacy?
Well, Huawei has developed its own operating system called HarmonyOS which gives the vendor another option. This could be an opportunity for savvy App developers who’ll have little competition, but it’s more likely to create a barrier for users who’ll want access to an established store with a broader choice of Apps to choose from.