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Huawei's consumer business group CEO Richard Yu is not giving up on selling smartphones and other devices in the U.S., despite warnings against the company made by U.S. government officials and a lack of support from retailers. The company recently released a new flagship smartphone, the Huawei P20 Pro:
"We are committed to the US market and to earning the trust of US consumers by staying focused on delivering world-class products and innovation," Yu told CNET in an email. "We would never compromise that trust."
The comments mark a defiant response to the vague warnings made by US officials that have effectively crippled Huawei's ability to get its phones in front of consumers. In January, AT&T pulled out of a landmark plan to sell the Mate 10 Pro, an important high-end Huawei phone. Verizon reportedly also scuttled a deal to carry the device based on political pressure. CNET was also first to report that Best Buy, the US' largest electronics retailer, dropped Huawei phones from its roster.
[...] "The security risk concerns are based on groundless suspicions and are quite frankly unfair," Yu said. "We welcome an open and transparent discussion if it is based on facts." [...] "We work with 46 of the 50 global operators," Yu told CNET, "And have maintained a very strong security record because security is one of our top priorities." [...] "Even without the United States market, we'll be No. 1 in the world," Yu said earlier this week.
Huawei reported a 27% jump in profits in 2017, despite its struggle to establish itself in the U.S. market.
See also: Huawei P20 launch highlights the risks of U.S. paranoia over Chinese security
Huawei's P20 Pro is a hugely promising phone that will upset Americans
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
Verizon Cancels Plans to Sell Huawei Phone Due to U.S. Government Pressure
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday March 31 2018, @12:32PM (4 children)
sales are easy - marketing plus internet (works for Tesla)
Support.. Unless they have some express post deal (your phone back in 48/72 hours), people might be wary..
Although, how many phones do people break, repairably, and actually take back to the manufacturer? Most go back to place of sale, and may not get repaired onsite anyway..
All about perception.
Good, reliable phone that phones home to China, or good, reliable phone that phones home to the US (possibly via a five eyese partner)?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Interesting) by seeprime on Saturday March 31 2018, @02:03PM (1 child)
They could build a facility in the US to produce the phones. That would keep political pressure off of them, and win some new customers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 31 2018, @10:29PM
Like China demands our companies do? Manufacture in country, possibly having to take in a local partner?
Never, people may have to spend a dollar more for something coming off the line in the US.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 31 2018, @07:34PM (1 child)
If you're not living in China nor trying to overthrow the Chinese Gov, your phone sending data to China isn't going to be a huge problem (unless it makes stuff laggy, if you're going to spy on my keystrokes and passwords with stuff like Huawei's Swype at least please make it not so laggy ;) ).
In contrast the US Gov has shown that they might bother to make your life miserable even if you're not living in the USA nor trying to overthrow the US Gov.
Look what happened to Kim Dotcom.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday March 31 2018, @09:18PM
That's a pretty naive assertion, especially in light of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica fiasco currently raging in the press.
Imagine handing a foreign power all the data on your phone, all your contacts, text messages, pictures, links you've followed, all siphoned off your phone onto any wifi when you thought your phone was sleeping. Do you really believe only big-data companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon would be able to data mine this level of stuff?
OTOH, maybe the real reason is something like:
(If this is the issue, why doesn't Huawei come out and say exactly that?)
Of course, it is also possible the US is not worried about data being sent to China, but what China could decide to send to the US. Viruses, ping floods, cell-network take-downs, what ever. Everyone knows that your cell phone goes dead in any real national emergency, but 90% (number pulled from ass) of those phones jump to wifi as soon as that happens. An even more powerful platform for an insider attack.
You have to ask yourself Why would the US be worried about only a couple companies in China, and not all the others that manufacture in China.
Is is political gamesmanship, or is there actual intelligence of a threat? If so, why hasn't the US documented it? Its not THAT hard to monitor connections originating or terminating on a phone if you control the upstream.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.