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At the annual Huawei developer conference, the company officially unveiled its custom HarmonyOS system designed to create a unified ecosystem for potentially millions of users. Of course, it will not be as simple as producing improved and enhanced versions of its Kirin chipsets for smartphones and tablets. Huawei therefore intends to spend time with what could be a viable competitor for Android, even if not marketed as such. We explain here what HarmonyOS is, its unique feature set, and has the potential to sneak into the duopoly created by iOS and Android.
The nature of HarmonyOS and how it works
Known as HongMeng OS in China, Huawei states that HarmonyOS is an open source operating system based on a micro-kernel. This means that the software has a minimum of functions necessary to create an operating system. Since it will be freely available, it can be modified accordingly. However, even Android is open source, but Google has imposed some restrictions on phone and tablet manufacturers in return for running key applications and services.
We will have to see if this is the level desired by Huawei in the future, but for now, HarmonyOS is intended for products classified in the category "Internet of Things", according to a manager of Huawei. Based on a micro-kernel, there is less code to process, resulting in faster communication and significantly reduced latency between hardware components, hence its preference for IoT products. Perhaps its most appealing feature is that it has been designed to be used on several types of devices. That's why some call it a direct threat to Google's fuchsia operating system.
Will this help Huawei reduce Android's dependence?
As previously stated, HarmonyOS is aimed at IoT thanks to reduced latency and better performance. However, Huawei says that while he wants to continue working with Google on Android, the Chinese giant's custom operating system can be used with various devices. That being said, HarmonyOS will not initially be available for smartphones, but Richard Yu said that if Huawei were forced to move, the company would only need a few days to replace Android on its devices.
However, to make HarmonyOS a viable Android alternative, not to mention a replacement, an application ecosystem must exist, which Huawei would have thought of before embarking on this ambitious project. Unfortunately, Android apps are not compatible with HarmonyOS by default, but it was designed in such a way that by using the open source compiler Huawei ARK, developers can transfer these applications to the operating system.
Earlier, the founder of Huawei admitted that HarmonyOS could not grow without an ecosystem of applications, which is why the company is already busy replacing the Google Play Store. Its own App Store calls Huawei AppGallery, developers being invited to publish their Android apps via its own App Store. In addition, the Chinese giant would work on an alternative to Google Maps, suggesting that he intends to use Android well in the long term, he wants to have a competitive solution in case he finds himself in a shady position.
The card kit is expected to be unveiled in October and cover 150 countries, while being available in 40 languages.
Promises of security?
Huawei has been the subject of controversy over online espionage. It is therefore essential to give users the greatest satisfaction and the greatest confidence in security. Richard Yu, CEO of the consumer division of Huawei, said that HarmonyOS was safer and more powerful than Android, with IPC performance five times higher than Fuchsia's.
However, this statement was not supported by any statistical evidence. For tweakers, there is bad news because Huawei has confirmed that such users would not get root access as this could result in a massive security breach. As most of you know, rooting an Android device presents a major risk to users, as well as to other Linux-based operating systems.
Future products in the pipeline that will use HarmonyOS?
After unveiling the Honor Vision and Honor Vision Pro smart TVs, running Huawei's custom operating system, the company plans to launch a smartwatch running the same operating system. This suggests that smartphones running HarmonyOS are not a priority of Huawei, probably thanks to the strata of Android, the trust and dependence of millions of users for the operating system, and maybe the manufacturer does not want to tarnish his relationship with Google the moment.
However, the technology giant said that since developers can seamlessly deploy HarmonyOS across devices ranging from smart screens to portable systems to portable systems, there are many products and services that Huawei has to offer. intend to present in the near and distant future.
Our instinct is that this is just the beginning of something very exciting. Unfortunately, these products will first be launched in China, a region where millions of users do not rely on Google applications and services, making it the ideal testing ground for HarmonyOS. Huawei's sub-brand Honor has not confirmed whether its latest smart TV duo will be available overseas, which means that many of these products will first be exclusive to China. Huawei says some HarmonyOS features have been incorporated into the EMUI 10 update so users can benefit from direct experience with the company's efforts.
So can he succeed? The official unveiling took place on August 9th, so it's too early to comment on the potential success of HarmonyOS. We will admit that no one would have suspected Huawei of becoming such a dominant force in the smartphone business and that its rapid deployment efforts of 5G are unparalleled. This wave of success will force anyone to bet on Huawei, but a custom operating system is a totally different ball game. For now, the workings are in place and the greatest strength of HarmonyOS lies in its ability to provide a seamless ecosystem on multiple devices.
His greatest weakness; a non-existent application ecosystem. The speed with which Huawei is trying to turn this into an Android competitor is an answer that only time can say. For now, HarmonyOS and its many features seem very promising.
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