The operating system serves as essential software, acting as a critical bridge between hardware and applications. For the past three decades, the global operating system landscape has been largely dominated by Europe and the United States, leaving a gap in China’s independently controllable systems.
This status quo is shifting with the upcoming HarmonyOS NEXT on October 8, expected to launch commercially in the fourth quarter of this year. Huawei aims to establish a comprehensive ecosystem for the intelligent connectivity of all devices.
Harmony OS was officially launched in 2015 and made public in August 2019 amid significant pressure from the United States. Over the past five years, Huawei and industry partners have invested heavily in the Harmony OS despite a challenging environment.
The full launch of HarmonyOS NEXT applications last fall marked a significant break from the Android ecosystem. HarmonyOS NEXT achieves complete self-research in core technologies—such as its kernel, programming language, and compiler—disentangling itself from Android and iOS. Its restructured system architecture opens hardware access and facilitates diverse interactions, setting a historical precedent for operating systems worldwide.
However, this departure poses a survival challenge for HarmonyOS NEXT: cultivating its own application ecosystem. Huawei’s Vice Chairman, Xu Zhijun, emphasized that a genuine mobile operating system must have its own ecosystem to enable synergy among applications, operating systems, and chips, ultimately enhancing user experience and security.
Building a thriving ecosystem requires collective effort. The Chinese internet industry shows strong enthusiasm for establishing an independent operating system ecosystem. Cao Peng, Chairman of the Technology Committee at Jingdong Group, noted that their main applications have fully adapted to HarmonyOS NEXT, achieving performance that sometimes surpasses their Android counterparts, and affirmed Jingdong’s intention to invest further in the ecosystem.
The developer landscape is adapting, with over 470 SDKs optimized for HarmonyOS NEXT through collaborations with partners like Ant Group and China UnionPay, reducing application development workload by up to 90%.
Currently, the HarmonyOS NEXT app market hosts over 10,000 applications and meta-services across 18 domains, fulfilling 99.9% of consumer usage needs, indicating the ecosystem’s maturity.
The swift consensus among diverse industry partners to collaborate with Harmony OS in creating a new ecosystem stems from two key factors. First, Harmony OS has achieved full-stack self-research in core operating system technologies, ensuring genuine independence and control. Second, partners recognize the potential of Harmony OS’s unique capabilities—such as full-scene integration, native intelligence, and enhanced security—to redefine user experiences in an era of interconnected smart devices.
Ye Jun, President of DingTalk, a collaborative office platform, mentioned that since last November, DingTalk has engaged in deep collaboration with Huawei, investing significant R&D resources to advance the development of a HarmonyOS NEXT version of its platform.
With HarmonyOS NEXT’s robust end-cloud collaboration model and inherent intelligent capabilities, the native version of DingTalk is poised to deliver more efficient and personalized services. Users can seamlessly initiate video conferences directly from their address book or access various internal processes such as HR, finance, and procurement through intuitive interfaces. Additionally, DingTalk’s development process, leveraging Harmony OS’s full-scene characteristics, has reduced multi-end development costs by up to 20%.
Kingsoft Office’s CEO, Zhang Qingyuan, emphasized the necessity of deep technical expertise and substantial long-term investment in creating a new operating system. He noted that China has historically lacked a fully integrated ecological company, but the likelihood of Huawei achieving this goal is significant. Kingsoft has a long-standing partnership with Huawei and is committed to innovating the full-scene office experience alongside Harmony OS.
WPS Office, a robust application with over 40 million lines of code, benefits from Harmony OS’s comprehensive programming language and framework. This synergy allows Kingsoft’s development team to efficiently identify issues using advanced visual debugging tools, thereby overcoming challenges like complex programming and prolonged debugging cycles. This collaboration has facilitated cross-platform compatibility and promoted the development of third-party infrastructures.
Beyond office applications, social media platforms like Weibo and Sina News have also leveraged Native Harmony OS’s innovative features, such as dynamic photos and AI read-aloud capabilities. These enhancements significantly elevate user experiences while streamlining development processes. For instance, Sina News incorporated HarmonyOS NEXT’s AI read-aloud functionality with minimal coding, reducing both development workload and application size.
This collaboration across various sectors emphasizes the potential for innovation and growth within the domestic technology landscape, positioning Harmony OS as a vital player in shaping the future of mobile operating systems. The shared goal of fostering a robust ecosystem not only enhances user experiences but also strengthens the overall resilience and independence of China’s technological capabilities. As industry leaders rally behind Harmony OS, the groundwork is laid for a new era of digital interaction and connectivity, signaling a significant transformation in the global operating system landscape.
The successful development of an operating system ecosystem relies on several key components: a robust technical foundation, efficient development tools, and a rich array of application software. In addition to these essentials, factors such as developer support, talent cultivation, and a diverse ecosystem of devices serve as crucial elements, akin to the air, water, and nutrients necessary for growth. The future of Native Harmony OS is promising, bolstered by these foundational components.
By refusing to prioritize profits over collaboration, Harmony OS has committed over 6 billion RMB annually to incentivize developer innovation. This approach—where developers’ success precedes that of the Harmony OS ecosystem—has attracted a growing number of developers, with registered members of the Huawei Developer Alliance reaching 6.75 million, marking a tenfold increase over five years.
Talent is fundamental to ecological prosperity. Currently, 23 cities across 8 provinces have launched initiatives to cultivate Harmony OS-related skills. Over 305 colleges and universities are offering Harmony OS courses, alongside 38 specialized training institutions. Huawei collaborates with industry partners and educational institutions to cultivate new talent, producing an impressive 100,000 new Harmony OS developers each month.
As of June 2024, the number of devices within the Harmony OS surpassed 900 million, spanning smartphones, PCs, tablets, wearables, smart screens, and automobiles. The success of premium products like the Huawei Mate 60 series has propelled Harmony OS’s market share, surpassing Apple’s iOS to become the second-largest smartphone operating system in China and the third-largest globally after Android and iOS. This expansive market potential has drawn numerous partners from various sectors.
The collective efforts of developers, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders contribute to the vibrant ecosystem surrounding Harmony OS, enhancing its capabilities and user experiences.
As Harmony OS continues to grow, it not only positions itself as a competitive alternative in the operating system market but also fosters a collaborative spirit among its participants, paving the way for innovative advancements and a more interconnected digital landscape.
Source: Huawei, gsmarena
