[ad_1]
Deal
Huawei Technologies plans to introduce its Harmony operating system, seen as the company’s best bet, to replace Google’s Android mobile operating system, on smartphones next year, the head of its consumer business group said on Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: An employee uses a Huawei P40 smartphone at the IFA consumer technology fair, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Berlin, Germany, on September 3, 2020. REUTERS / Michele Tantussi
SHENZHEN, China – Huawei Technologies plans to introduce its Harmony operating system (OS), seen as its replacement for Google’s Android mobile operating system, on smartphones next year as it seeks to overcome US-imposed restrictions.
The company first introduced its proprietary HarmonyOS last year, which it has announced as a multi-device platform for watches, laptops and mobiles, rather than as a homogeneous competitor to Google’s Android mobile operating system.
Analysts say it is the closest solution to a replacement that Huawei has, following its addition to the US entity list in May last year, which banned Google from providing technical support for new Huawei phone models. that use Android and Google Mobile Services (GMS). , the developer services suite on which most Android apps are based.
Huawei’s Consumer Business Group Executive Director Richard Yu and Wang Chenglu, Chairman of the Software Department of Huawei Consumer Business Group, gave an update on the company’s annual developer conference in Dongguan City on Thursday. , in southern China.
“The milestone we are setting is that we are supporting Huawei devices from Harmony OS 2.0, but at the same time, Harmony OS 2.0 may also be available for third-party devices,” said Wang. “Harmony OS 2.0 will be available to all manufacturers of hardware”.
Yu added that the company had also opened a beta for smart TVs, watches and car infotainment systems to developers starting Thursday, and plans to make it available for smartphones in December.
US PRESSURE
Being disconnected from Google’s Android support led the company to experience a drop in overseas smartphone sales, although it was later offset by an increase in domestic demand.
Its alternative to GMS is Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), which according to Yu is now the third largest mobile app ecosystem in the world. Zhang Pingan, president of Huawei’s consumer cloud division, said overseas customers accepted HMS and that sales of HMS-powered phones had “skyrocketed” since May.
Yu said the company shipped 240 million smartphones last year, earning it a second place in the market rankings in 2019, but added that software shortages had affected sales in recent months and shipments fell to 105 million units in the first half.
In August, the US expanded previous restrictions aimed at preventing Huawei from sourcing semiconductors without a special license. Analysts have said Huawei’s smartphone business would disappear entirely if it couldn’t source chipsets.
“The development of HarmonyOS and HMS is fascinating. However, this development will require hardware to deliver to consumers. Therefore, the biggest challenge continues to come from the disruption of the supply of chips,” said Will Wong, analyst at consultancy IDC .
(Reporting by David Kirton in Shenzhen; written by Brenda Goh; edited by Gerry Doyle and Elaine Hardcastle)
