In the Huawei Developer Conference held in Dongguan city of China, Huawei unveiled their new operating system dubbed the HarmonyOS. The new OS is a microkernel-based, distributed operating system designed to deliver a cohesive user experience across all devices and scenarios.
After the whole US issue, and the restriction on Android, it is only natural for Huawei to come up with a new OS. With Google holding the monopoly in the cross-platform OS market, the introduction of HarmonyOS is a breath of fresh air.
In the event, the CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu, explained the company’s thoughts behind developing this new OS. He expressed that Huawei felt it was important to have an operating system with improved cross-platform capabilities. He also further added that Huawei began exploring this new OS as early as 10 years ago.
“We’re entering a day and age where people expect a holistic intelligent experience across all devices and scenarios. To support this, we felt it was important to have an operating system with improved cross-platform capabilities. We needed an OS that supports all scenarios, that can be used across a broad range of devices and platforms, and that can meet consumer demand for low latency and strong security.” – Richard Yu
It seems like Huawei wants to achieve these goals with their new OS. HarmonyOS seems to be a completely different OS from Android and iOS. For one, it is a microkernel-based, distributed OS that delivers a smooth experience across all scenarios. It also has a trustworthy and secure architecture, and it supports seamless collaboration across devices. Developers can develop apps once, then flexibly deploy them across a range of different devices.
Traditionally such announcement would go hand-in-hand with a new range of mobile devices. Huawei, however, took a different route announcing that they will be initially using the OS in smart devices. So, devices like smartwatches, smart screens, in-vehicle systems, and smart speakers will get the new OS first. Consumers will get a taste of HarmonyOS (1.0) later this year in the aforementioned devices. Over the next three years, HarmonyOS will be optimized and gradually adopted across a broader range of smart devices, including wearables, HUAWEI Vision, and head units of cars.
“We believe HarmonyOS will revitalize the industry and enrich the ecosystem. Our goal is to bring people a truly engaging and diverse experience. We want to invite developers from around the world to join us as we build out this new ecosystem. Together, we will deliver an intelligent experience for consumers in all scenarios”
The success of HarmonyOS will depend on a dynamic ecosystem of apps and developers. To encourage broader adoption, Huawei will release HarmonyOS as an open-source platform, worldwide. Huawei will also establish an open-source foundation and an open-source community to support more in-depth collaboration with developers. Huawei will also open up and share its core capabilities in areas like connectivity, cameras, and AI. It will work closely with ecosystem partners to deliver apps and services that provide consumers with the best possible experience and bring new life to the industry. The OS will initially be deployed in the Chinese market and then gradually expand to the international markets.
HarmonyOS: Thoughts
The HarmonyOS from Huawei seems like it could be a good alternative to the Android ecosystem. From what the company has described it to be, the OS will be fast, smooth, secure, and unified. And the microkernel-based open-source nature of the OS is definitely a plus.
That said, the biggest issue with a new OS is app support. If Huawei can get the top developers on-board, it might have itself a winner. Well, only time will tell how good the OS will resonate with the people. Till then, we hope for the best from the new OS of Huawei.
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