South Africa remains ‘important’ market for Huawei
Huawei’s smartwatch is number one in the South African market, according to Consumer Business Group SA CTO Akhram Mohamed, noting this is despite being “brand new” in the wearable space.
Mohamed made the comment yesterday during the Huawei Better
Together 2021 virtual event, sharing a 2021 snapshot for the company in the
local market. He was joined by Jun Sun, general manager for Huawei Consumer
Business Group in SA.
He explained: “We have a clear vision long-term. We don’t
only want to come and say this is the new product coming out, but we want to
say – this is the intention and the thinking behind that product and how it’s
going to improve lives.
“Wearables, for example, are very practical. It’s not just
about having a smartwatch…it is a lifestyle device, especially in these times
where we are now tracking our health and our fitness.
“It’s no longer just about tracking steps, but also your
heart rate, and giving you recommendations on how to improve and better your
physical activity.”
During the event, the company did not make any new product
announcements, but did reveal its flagship Mate 40 Pro, which has already been
released globally, will be available in SA in April across all its operator
channels.
“We have strong brand equity in this country and we hope to
release many more new devices in the future in various product categories,”
stated Mohamed.
Reflecting on the future and potential launch of P50-series
flagship smartphones, he was tight-lipped.
“South Africa remains an important market for Huawei and is
one of the top markets that we consider for our flagship launches. This hasn’t
changed and will be the same in the future.
“However, right now, all I can say is that we can’t reveal
much about these devices because they haven’t been launched yet,” he commented.
Jun added: “Our journey from our beginnings to where we are
now in South Africa has been nothing short of phenomenal. South Africa is one
of the most important pioneering markets for Huawei. We are committed to
continue using our technology to improve the lives of South Africans around the
country.”
Responding to a question about the company’s own operating
system, HarmonyOS, Mohamed wouldn’t be drawn to confirm any timelines, only
stating: “For some existing phone models, including GSM phones, users can determine
whether to upgrade to HarmonyOS or not.
“We’ll provide continuous technical support and ensure
consistent user experience for users who choose not to upgrade to HarmonyOS.”
Mohamed said the focus is on driving a “seamless AI
[artificial intelligence] life” strategy for SA in 2021.
According to Huawei, its strategy for the hyper-connected
era in SA is mainly focused on smartphones, wearables, tablets, PCs and
Internet of things devices.
This, says the company, forms part of the global vision of
delivering an intelligent experience to consumers in SA across all scenarios,
including health, fitness and overall lifestyle.
Mohamed stated: “In an age where everybody is competing
around camera sizes, screen sizes and all of these other things, what’s next?
Technology really needs to be something where you don’t even have to think
about what it needs to do for you.
“You need to do a task and it should be immediately
accessible and simple, and that is what a seamless AI life is about. We are
starting to see right now in South Africa how that has progressed as well.
“For most South Africans, they had to either upgrade their
technologies, they had to get additional devices, and get more resources. For
e-commerce, the adoption has increased drastically.”
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