Harmony OS is an open source, microkernel-based (similar to QNX) distributed operating system developed by Huawei HI Silicon. Unveiled on 9 August 2019, the platform is designed primarily for internet of things (IoT) devices.
Prior to its unveiling, it was originally speculated to be a mobile operating system that could replace Android on future Huawei devices (in response to financial sanctions imposed on Huawei by the United States government in May 2019), but by July 2019, some Huawei executives were describing Harmony as being an “industrial” embedded operating system designed for IoT hardware, discarding the previous statements for it to be a mobile operating system.
Because Mr Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business, said: “Hongmeng” is difficult to pronounce in English, Therefore, the English name of the OS will be translated using the word “Harmony” whose pronunciation is similar to “Hóngméng”.
The new Huawei operating system will support a wide variety of devices, include smartphones, tablets, computers, smart watches, smart TVs, smart speakers, in-vehicle systems, etc. The company says Harmony OS is “a deterministic latency engine that gives a smooth interactive experience. That means latency is at a minimum; bringing fluid interactive experience.”
According to Huawei, Harmony OS will be open source, with developers allowed to create apps for it using the ARK Compiler.
The OS is said to offer precise resource scheduling with real-time load analysis and forecasting as well as app characteristics matching. The OS will be AI-compatible, so we can expect the brand to introduce either a new digital assistant with the OS or offer AI-compatibility to other assistants. Harmony OS will be TEE-verified “for improved security across multiple smart devices in a connected all-world scenario.”
According to Huawei, Harmony OS is not a replacement for Android, but can be used on smartphones if its access to Android is cut off. This means Huawei phones and tablets will continue to use Android, with Harmony OS a fall-back option if things go bad. Harmony OS will be headed to Honor smart TVs first, followed by Huawei and Honor wearables and laptops next year.
“We believe Harmony OS will revitalise the industry and enrich the ecosystem, ”Yu added. “We want to invite developers from around the world to join us as we build out this new ecosystem. Together, we will deliver an intelligent experience for consumers in all scenarios.”
