- Huawei has launched HarmonyOS on its flagship Mate 40 and foldable Mate X2 smartphones, the Watch Sequence 3 smartwatch, and MatePad Professional pill.
- The Chinese language know-how big has seemed to pivot to software program and concentrate on different shopper electronics like wearables and tablets to spice up income as U.S. sanctions have damage different companies.
- Huawei payments HarmonyOS as a working system that may work throughout many internet-connected gadgets from smartphones to wearables and TVs too, to distinguish from Google and Apple.
GUANGZHOU, China — Huawei on Wednesday launched its self-developed working system throughout a slew of gadgets, together with smartphones. The transfer comes because the Chinese language tech big seems to wean itself off its reliance on U.S. know-how and will pit it in opposition to software program from Apple and Google.
HarmonyOS launched in 2019 after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei, chopping it off from entry to Google’s Android working system. That transfer, together with further sanctions proscribing Huawei’s entry to essential semiconductors, crippled its smartphone business simply months after it became the number one player in the world.
Huawei has been creating HarmonyOS since 2016 and payments it as an working system that may work throughout many internet-connected gadgets from smartphones to wearables. The corporate claims it’s straightforward for builders to create apps that may work throughout completely different merchandise.
The concentrate on HarmonyOS working throughout gadgets is a method Huawei is making an attempt to distinguish its working system from Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
“HarmonyOS is designed to supply the glue between a rising array of linked gadgets that Huawei is concentrating on,” Ben Wooden, chief analyst at CCS Perception, stated.
“Huawei shall be hoping that it could observe Apple’s lead, by having a single software program platform that extends in all instructions, offering a seamless expertise to prospects that purchase into its ecosystem of merchandise.”
Smartphones, watches get HarmonyOS
In 2019, Huawei put HarmonyOS on a TV made by Honor, a model it had used to personal. On Wednesday, Huawei launched HarmonyOS on a brand new model of its flagship Mate 40 smartphone in addition to its Mate X2 foldable telephone. Huawei’s new Watch Sequence 3 smartwatch and MatePad Professional pill can even be geared up with HarmonyOS.
Sanctions in 2019 that minimize Huawei off from Google meant customers of the Chinese language firm’s smartphones didn’t obtain Android updates.
Huawei introduced on Wednesday that lots of the firm’s older telephones will be capable of improve to HarmonyOS. These upgrades will start from Wednesday and be regularly rolled out by to subsequent yr.
U.S. sanctions brought on a dramatic slowdown in Huawei’s revenue growth in 2020, hitting the corporate’s smartphone and its networking tools enterprise. Washington has maintained Huawei is a nationwide safety risk claiming data the company collects may very well be shared with the Chinese language authorities. Huawei has repeatedly denied that it would do this.
Huawei has seemed to pivot to software and concentrate on different shopper electronics like wearables and tablets to spice up income. HarmonyOS is a part of that effort together with an rising concentrate on cloud computing.
The corporate has stated that almost 100 completely different Huawei merchandise are set to assist HarmonyOS in China this yr. Huawei had beforehand stated 300 million gadgets will run on HarmonyOS this yr.
At a web based occasion on Wednesday, Wang Chenglu, the president of software program in Huawei’s shopper enterprise group, confirmed examples of how HarmonyOS works throughout gadgets. One instance concerned opening a “management panel” on a smartphone earlier than selecting one in all a number of music apps and what machine to play songs on.
Apps are key
Two working techniques dominate the cellular market as we speak — Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Prior to now, firms from Microsoft to Samsung have tried and didn’t create viable options.
What allow them to down was the dearth of scale which didn’t entice builders to the platform to make apps. With out apps, customers might not need to use the software program.
However Huawei has put an enormous concentrate on apps and the corporate’s scale and the variety of gadgets HarmonyOS can work throughout may assist draw builders to the platform.
HarmonyOS may “entice the developer ecosystem and improve the set up base of gadgets actually quick,” Neil Shah, accomplice at Counterpoint Analysis, informed CNBC. “Extra builders will see the advantages. There’s not a rooster and egg downside.”
Huawei has a set of apps reminiscent of mapping and a browser underneath a model known as Huawei Cellular Companies. HMS is much like Google Cellular Companies and provides builders kits that can be utilized to combine issues like location providers into apps. HMS has 2.7 million registered builders globally.
The Chinese language agency additionally has its personal app retailer known as App Gallery with 540 million month-to-month energetic customers worldwide.
“Huawei has been in a position to generate some scale,” Shah stated.
In the meantime, Huawei has opened its working system to third-party machine makers, very similar to Google’s Android. If main dwelling equipment firms or machine producers determine to undertake HarmonyOS then that might assist the software program develop even additional, Shah stated.
Worldwide prospects
Whereas HarmonyOS may discover success in Huawei’s dwelling market of China, it could face challenges in worldwide markets.
Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS dominate the cellular working system market. And on smartwatches, Apple has its WatchOS whereas Google final month launched a revamped version of its Wear operating system. The 2 U.S. know-how giants have additionally been specializing in software program for in-car leisure too.
Each firms even have an enormous base of app builders and the world’s hottest apps on their platform. That’s one space by which Huawei may battle.
“The one factor (HarmonyOS) nonetheless lacks is the massive marquee western builders,” Shah stated.
Huawei’s app retailer is lacking main names such Google apps, that are essential to customers overseas. Fb in the meantime is obtainable however not for direct obtain from AppGallery.
Shah stated sure continents like Europe and Africa may present a possibility for Huawei. Nevertheless, the Chinese language agency will most probably need to cope with the reputational fallout from U.S. sanctions.
“Huawei faces enormous challenges outdoors China,” Wooden of CCS Perception stated. “There was a palpable lack of shopper confidence within the model on account of the US sanctions that shall be difficult to beat because it pivots into new areas.”