Huawei has unveiled its own operating system, called HarmonyOS, at the Huawei Developer Conference in China. The company said the software is built to support a wide range of devices, starting first with smartwatches, smart displays and smart speakers.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, said HarmonyOS "is completely different from Android and iOS", as it was designed to support an entire ecosystem rather than a specific type of device. The system was designed to provide "a holistic intelligent experience across all devices and scenarios", with improved cross-platform capabilities and meeting consumer demand for low latency and strong security.
The microkernel-based, distributed OS is also expected to make life easier for app developers. They can develop apps once, then flexibly deploy them across a range of different devices, Yu said. HarmonyOS will be made available with an open-source licence, and Huawei said it will establish an open-source foundation and community to support more in-depth collaboration with developers.
While many have speculated that Huawei developed the OS as an alternative to Android, the company said it will be used first for devices other than smartphones. HarmonyOS 1.0 will be used first in its smart screen products, which are due to launch later this year. Over the next three years, HarmonyOS will be optimized and gradually adopted across a broader range of smart devices, including wearables and automotive systems, the company said.
It also appears unlikely the new software will reach Western markets soon, as Huawei said it will "lay the foundations for HarmonyOS in the Chinese market, and then expand it further to the global ecosystem".
