Huawei banking on new OS

Huawei banking on new OS

Huawei's Harmony OS and mobile user interface EMUI 10 promise to deliver a cohesive user experience across all devices.
Huawei's Harmony OS and mobile user interface EMUI 10 promise to deliver a cohesive user experience across all devices.

Huawei plans to introduce its new Harmony operating system to a series of smart devices starting this year to help boost customer confidence as analysts worry about the potential risk of losing access to Android on Huawei devices.

The open-source Harmony OS 1.0 (Hongmeng in Chinese) was launched worldwide about a week ago.

Huawei said the new OS will be used in its smart TVs this year; innovative PCs, smart watches and bands next year; headsets with speakers in 2021; and virtual reality glasses in 2022.

Wang Yingshuo, country director of Huawei's consumer business group in Thailand, said the success of Harmony OS will depend on the dynamic ecosystem of apps and developers.

Huawei plans to spend US$1 billion this year, a 60% jump from 2018, on its open-source foundation and an open-source community to support in-depth collaboration with developers around the globe.

"The Harmony OS will not immediately replace the existing Android OS for Huawei smartphones, but it will bring incredible new benefits to consumers, equipment vendors and developers, especially for dealing with upcoming explosive growth of 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT)," Mr Wang said.

He was speaking at the introduction of Harmony OS and the latest version of mobile user interface EMUI 10 in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Harmony OS, which has been under development since 2017, aims to boost cross-platform capabilities that support all scenarios and can be used across a broad range of devices and platforms, Mr Wang said. It could meet customer demand for low latency and strong security.

The OS is a lightweight, compact operating system with powerful functionality, and it will first be used for smart devices like smart watches, smart screens, in-vehicle systems and smart speakers, Mr Wang said.

The incoming adoption of Harmony OS in IoT and non-smartphone products instead of smartphones is not expected hold back the platform's ecosystem progress. Mr Wang said time is needed for apps and their developers to get the hang of the OS.

If Huawei is eventually deprived of using Android on its smartphones, the company will deploy Harmony OS on its handsets, he said.

As upcoming 5G and IoT technology will usher in massive connectivity, there is a need to have an integrated and shared ecosystem across devices with a secure and reliable run-time environment.

Harmony OS, Mr Wang said, will bring new benefits to customers, device vendors and developers. For consumers, it will bring a cohesive and powerful intelligent experience across all aspects of life.

Equipment vendors will gain advantage from the technology in the age of holistic intelligent experiences, with 5G, AI and IoT technologies driving explosive growth.

The OS will enable developers to win more users via less investment, with innovative services across all scenarios, Mr Wang said.

Thailand is among the first-tier markets for Huawei's growth, and the company aims to maintain double-digit growth in the country.

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