What is the Huawei Harmony OS?

Alright folks, let’s dive into the world of Huawei and their incredible journey with HarmonyOS. Huawei is known for pulling off miracles, turning the impossible into possible. Just think about the elusive Mate 60 Pro and the AITO M7/M9 that flew off the shelves. And guess what? The upcoming release of HarmonyOS NEXT is going to be another game-changer.

So, what the heck is HarmonyOS? Well, back in 2019, Huawei announced this brand-new, cutting-edge, distributed operating system called HarmonyOS at their global developer conference. Fast forward to 2023, after four years of development, this bad boy has evolved into a powerhouse. It’s based on a microkernel architecture and designed to cater to all kinds of scenarios. HarmonyOS boasts over 100 million lines of code and more than 20,000 APIs. The HarmonyOS ecosystem has already exceeded 700 million devices, and a whopping 2.2 million developers are diving headfirst into HarmonyOS development. HarmonyOS 4.0 has won the hearts of consumers, with over 100 million devices upgraded in just three months. It’s officially the fastest-upgraded HarmonyOS version in history. Impressive, huh?

As Huawei’s President of Terminal Software, Gong Ti, puts it, “If building HarmonyOS is like fighting three battles, we’ve already conquered two. The third battle is all about building a thriving ecosystem. Once the ecosystem flourishes, so does HarmonyOS.”

Now, let me spill the beans on the secret sauce that’s helped tech giants like Apple, Google, and Intel dominate the industry for decades: ecosystems. Their success hinges on operating systems like iOS, Android, and good old Wintel (Windows+Intel). For the longest time, our world has been dominated by iOS and Android, with other contenders trying to grab a piece of the pie but ultimately fading away. It’s been a vicious cycle of monopolies.

As a latecomer, Huawei faced an uphill battle challenging the giants and trying to solve the puzzle they couldn’t crack. Plus, they had to deal with unpredictable external factors. Initially, many folks had doubts about Huawei venturing into the smart device OS territory.

But guess what? Today, HarmonyOS has become the third-largest mobile operating system after Android and iOS. In the first quarter of 2023, it held around 2% of the global market share and a whopping 8% in the Chinese market. Whether you look at the numbers or the market share, it’s crystal clear that HarmonyOS is on the rise. The world can no longer underestimate the power of HarmonyOS. It’s time to take a closer look at this game-changer.

I’m Sheila Wang, and if you want to stay in the loop with the latest and greatest business and investment insights, don’t forget to smash that like button and hit that subscribe! And hey, I’m all ears for your thoughts in the comments section below. If you’re hungry for a more detailed investing report, make sure to check out my analysis report down below.

Building an ecosystem

Building an ecosystem ain’t no walk in the park, especially in the mature market of operating systems. So, how the heck did Huawei manage to catch the attention of ecosystem players and bring them into the fold? Well, first things first, ‘Cause let’s be real, developers gotta eat too, right? It takes some serious funding to develop an ecosystem that’s gonna stick around. That’s where Huawei’s “Hongfei Program” comes in, offering shared technical support, ecosystem marketing, business collaborations, developer support funds, and more. But hey, throwing money around alone ain’t gonna guarantee winning over developers and vendors.

If they can’t create a happy and enjoyable development experience for the millions of ecosystem participants, they might end up with a bunch of half-baked apps that fizzle out like Windows Phone. So, if Huawei wants developers and app vendors to jump on board, HarmonyOS needs to do two things:

First, they gotta set higher standards in terms of technical benchmarks, focusing on the future and creating a user experience that’s connected to everything. They gotta make everyone see the bright future of the whole system. Second, they gotta make it easy for developers by smoothing out the development process and making it more convenient than ever to build Hongmeng apps. To achieve all this, Huawei has been working tirelessly for years, rolling out various tools and now they’ve got a complete set of “Harmony Development Kits.” They’re not just luring developers in with cash and keeping them with tech; they’re also making a big effort to engage with more developers and provide a platform for anyone interested in Harmony Os. In the past couple of years’ developer conferences, Huawei has dedicated sessions to showcase the improvements and future plans for Hongmeng.

But it doesn’t stop there! Outside of the conferences, Hongmeng takes the spotlight in various tech forums and smaller gatherings. Apart from the annual developer conference, Huawei organizes all sorts of online and offline events, even going straight to campuses to connect with developers. We’re talking about HarmonyOS innovation camps, HUAWEI Developer Day, Huawei Campus Developer Program, and the list goes on. It seems like they’ve covered every nook and cranny of the internet-related industries. And get this, data shows that over 1.7 million people have already participated in Hongmeng Academy courses and offline events this year. That just goes to show the enthusiasm and high expectations people have for Hongmeng. Among those early adopters, we might just see the birth of a super app exclusive to Hongmeng. ‘Cause for an operating system, user support is definitely the second most important thing after building the ecosystem.

pure-blood HarmonyOS

they’re taking on a whole new challenge with HarmonyOS NEXT, aiming to create an operating system ecosystem for the everyday peeps.

At the Huawei All-Scenario New Product Launch, Richard Yu dropped the bomb and officially announced the full-scale launch of native HarmonyOS apps. Yu said these apps would bring a historic leap in the mobile app ecosystem — smoother, smarter, and safer. But what’s so different about HarmonyOS NEXT? What’s the latest scoop on HarmonyOS?

Huawei’s HarmonyOS has come a long way, my friends. After more than three years and several major updates, we’re now rocking HarmonyOS 4.0. And let me tell ya, it’s not just packed with more features, but it’s also compatible with a whole bunch of devices. We started with phones, but now we’re expanding to tablets, watches, TVs — you name it! HarmonyOS NEXT is built from the ground up, ditching the traditional Linux kernel and AOSP code. It’s what we call “pure-blood HarmonyOS.” This means that HarmonyOS NEXT won’t be compatible with Android anymore. APK files won’t open on this bad boy. Huawei’s HarmonyOS is now a fully independent system, just like Apple’s iOS, building its own unique ecosystem.” and here we can elaborate waht’s going on with the C_market and B-market.

for the C-market folks! HarmonyOS is set to make a grand entrance in the consumer space. “Pure-blood HarmonyOS” PCs and smartphones are about to hit the scene. And let me tell ya, if HarmonyOS PCs make their debut, they’ll initially target government and enterprise users.

We all know Huawei has been facing some challenges with the Kirin 9000s chip supply. But TechInsights believes these limitations might ease up in the coming months. “In this situation, we believe Huawei will make a solid comeback in 2024, reshuffling the Chinese smartphone operating system market and snatching market share from Apple and Android manufacturers.” And get this, over 400 companies have already started developing native HarmonyOS apps, covering various categories like navigation, news, tools, travel, finance, lifestyle, food, and games.

on the B-side! As HarmonyOS takes giant leaps forward, they’re also ramping up their open-source game.armonyOS open-source community has partnered up with over 150 companies, rolling out more than 350 software and hardware products. In the past few months, major players and top-notch companies in the Chinese internet scene have announced their foray into native HarmonyOS app development. We’re talking big shots like iQiyi, Alipay, Meituan, miHoYo, Bilibili, and Gaode Maps. Hundreds of top partners have jumped on the HarmonyOS native app development bandwagon, covering a wide range of areas like transportation, social networking, gaming, office tools, shopping, lifestyle, education — you name it! The HarmonyOS ecosystem is shaping up nicely, my friends.

Next year is going to be the year of native HarmonyOS apps, the HarmonyOS 2.0 era! We’re super bullish on the investment opportunities in this field. So, if you want to dive deeper into the HarmonyOS industry chain and grab those juicy opportunities, check out my detailed analysis report.

Stay tuned, folks! HarmonyOS is on a roll, and it’s only getting started!