Microsoft to continue supporting Huawei notebooks

Microsoft will continue to issue updates and patches for now, although the long term future is unclear

Microsoft has said it will continue to support Huawei laptops despite a US Government ban on trading with the Chinese firm.

A Microsoft spokesperson gave a statement to PC World, saying: "We remain committed to providing exceptional customer experiences… We may continue to offer Microsoft software updates to customers with Huawei devices."

In May, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei and 70 other affiliates on a list of foreign organisations with which US companies are forbidden to trade. The South China Morning Post reported at the time of the decision that its inclusion would "make it difficult if not impossible for Huawei, the largest telecommunications equipment producer in the world, to sell some products because of its reliance on US suppliers."

However, the US Government later relaxed its terms, allowing US companies to continue to do business with Huawei until 17 August.

The news will come as a relief to all owners of Huawei devices, as it means that their devices, if they are running Windows, will remain secure. This is because Huawei laptops will continue to receive important Microsoft updates and bug fixes. However, it is unclear as to how Microsoft's policy will work in relation to the US Commerce Department's ruling in the long term.

The fortunes of the company look slightly less bleak, despite the problems faced in acquiring CPUs or graphics chips from US companies such as Intel or AMD. Intel has also offered to release security patches and drive updates for Huawei notebooks, although it is similarly vague as to the legal position.

However, Huawei owners will be left with the decision of whether or not to stick with the potentially problematic hardware, when other brands that are not on the entity list may be a safer bet, and few are likely to purchase a new Huawei device under the current circumstances.