BENGALURU: Huawei’s recent release of Harmony OS Next is a step forward on the company’s path to creating a self-sufficient proprietary technological environment, separated from Western inspiration.
Focused on home-grown development, the public beta version of its operating system will first be launched on its flagship products namely, the; Huawei Mate 60 smartphone, Huawei Mate X5 foldable and the Huawei Matepad Pro tablet.
Expected to ship with actual hardware later this year with the Mate 70 smartphone, Harmony OS Next is a significant strategic shift for Huawei as the dominance of the US market wanes and its American counterpart escalates ongoing tensions and slaps new restrictions on Huawei-related business.
The history of development of Harmony OS has to do with the need for a strong competitor to Android, as Huawei has had its favoured OS up until the last year or two. After the accusations of spying and the consequent ban, Huawei understood the need for the company to develop its own tech independency.
Harmony OS was first unveiled in 2019 and has been built as a multi-platform OS capable to execute Android apps. Though, it is essential to establish that when the company introduced Harmony OS Next, there is a conscious effort to break with this compatibility, the goal being to design an indigenous operating system in China.
Domestic partners
Huawei has received backing from big domestic partners including Tencent Holdings as it ventured into the new operating system.
Currently, listed 20 in development projects compatible with Harmony OS as QQ, WeCom and its other famous brands. The partnership highlights the need for a solid app environment for the OS to thrive, which even, Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu Zhijun duly noted, insisting that for the Harmony OS to run as a mobile design, it requires a local ecosystem.
The reception for Harmony OS within China has remained positive, the first quarter proving that the platform now owns 17 per cent of the market share and is urging closer to threatening Apples space.
While Android remains the dominant player with a 68 per cent market share, according to Counterpoint Research, the gradual rise of Harmony OS reflects a growing sentiment of nationalism and a willingness among consumers to support local technology solutions.
Looking ahead, Huawei aims to extend the reach of Harmony OS beyond mobile devices, with plans for a PC version anticipated in the latter part of this year.
The ambition signifies Huawei’s resolve to not only reclaim its place in the global tech landscape but also to contribute to the development of a self-sufficient technological ecosystem within China.
