Huawei’s new “Harmony OS” and what that means for consumers
This could be the first successful attempt at challenging iOS and Android
Courtesy: qq.com
When we think of a smartphone Operating System, we can only think of two: Apples iOS and Googles Android. Well, that could be about to change very soon.
Sometimes, it takes a drastic event for organizations to make a change in their strategy. And what we are witnessing with Huawei’s new move is exactly that.
With Huawei being blocked by one of the world’s biggest markets (USA) from using any components that featured US-based technology, the company was forced to make a tough choice:
Give up and succumb to the sanctions, focus on the Asian market for its smartphone sales?
Or:
Take the fight global with a new OS that competes with Apple and Google.
Huawei chose to fight, announcing Harmony OS at their latest Huawei Developer Conference (HDC2020).
Courtesy: Huawei
But, Huawei is betting in more than one horse for this race! Harmony OS 2.0 is much more than just a smartphone system, it is being developed to allow any device to seamlessly interact with it in a way that we haven’t really experienced yet. It is a microkernel-based OS which means it can be easily integrated with wearables, smart home devices, cars, etc.
Yes, Huawei will largely depend on other Asian smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo to adopt it, but they are also going to take advantage of the ‘Internet of Things’ trend and make Harmony OS the ‘glue’ between a range of smart devices.
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It means a truly connected experience, with less ‘hops' between apps and different device interfaces.
At the HDC2020 event they showcased their new wearable products as well, the Wireless earphones Free Buds Pro, their even quieter option with the FreeLace which packs a new fast pairing and fast charging technology, and the new Watch GT pro with a sporty version as well.
Courtesy: Huawei
All of these new devices seamlessly connected with the smartphone to make for a great consumer experience, truly connected, which demonstrates Huawei’s focus on Harmony OS putting the consumer at the center of it. All supported by Artificial Intelligence, or as Huawei calls it, an AI life.
Picture a morning before work where your in the living room, watching a video on your phone and connected to your smart speakers through Harmony OS. All the while, Harmony is changing your smart light settings and offering you a fresh cup of coffee from the kitchen.
All of that may be possible as the OS learns your behaviors whilst allowing you to make those choices, seamlessly.
Do you know the last company that made a great success of joining the software to the hardware? A well-known California-based company, called Apple!
The challenge of many connected devices today is that the consumer has to ‘hop’ between different apps and different interfaces. A single OS, with integrated hardware running everything, makes that problem goes away.
Courtesy: Huawei
What happens now?
Smartphones sold until October will still have the option of having EMUI as an alternative, instead of Harmony OS.
After October, some of Huawei’s smartphones will start offering the new Harmony 2.0 Operating System.
Developers will be able to start creating apps for Harmony OS.
Conclusion
Getting developers to create for Harmony OS will be the greatest challenge for Huawei. Remember Windows Phone? Amazon Fire OS? These are operating systems backed by tech giants, and, they have all failed to compete with Apple and Google.
But, if the Chinese government supports and incentivizes other industries such as car manufacturers and electronic consumer goods to support Huawei’s Harmony OS, then they will have a great advantage, at least in Asia.
Whether that means they can exploit this advantage into the global market, only time will tell. Depending on what happens in the US elections and the resulting policies towards Huawei, this may well have been a stroke of genius by the organization.
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