Huawei has abandoned plans for a smartphone that dual-boots Android and Windows Phone.
The company told news website FierceWireless that “at this stage there are no plans to launch a dual-OS smartphone in the near future,” despite earlier statements from a Huawei executive.
Previously, Huawei marketing chief Shao Yang said that the company was working on a dual-OS handset running Android and Windows Phone. “If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone,” Yang said.
Huawei confirmed to FierceWireless that those plans have changed, but didn’t give an explanation. Huawei will release new Windows Phones this year, though most of the company’s handsets will run Android.
Murmurs of dual-OS phones began last fall, with Microsoft reportedly pitching the idea to HTC. But so far, the only phone maker besides Huawei to mention the possibility is India-based Karbonn Mobile, which announced its own dual-OS plans earlier this month. However, Karbonn hasn’t gone into specifics on how the device will work.
Meanwhile, Microsoft and Google have reportedly been squashing vendors’ plans for PCs that run both Windows and Android. According to the Wall Street Journal, Asus canceled its Transformer Book Duet after showing off the device at CES in January, and will stop selling its dual-OS Transformer AiO.
The Journal cited an internal Asus memo, which said Microsoft had a “new policy” of not supporting dual-OS products, though Microsoft said its policies haven’t changed. A source also suggested that patent issues were to blame. Last year, Samsung announced its own dual-OS laptop, the Ativ Q, but patent issues reportedly prevented this device from coming to market as well.
It’s unclear whether Huawei’s about-face on dual-OS smartphones is connected to the sudden demise of dual-OS PCs, or if it’s just a case of coincidental timing.
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers