Huawei shows off its one-for-all Harmony OS to rival Android and Windows
CHINESE TECH giant Huawei has officially announced its much trailed operating system, and after all the speculation, it’s called Harmony OS.
At the Huawei Developer Conference, currently taking place in Dongguan, China, Richard Yu took the covers off the new OS, codenamed HongMeng, which is designed to be available across all form factors replacing Windows and Android.
“We’re entering a day and age where people expect a holistic intelligent experience across all devices and scenarios,” Yu said. “To support this, we felt it was important to have an operating system with improved cross-platform capabilities.
“We needed an OS that supports all scenarios, that can be used across a broad range of devices and platforms, and that can meet consumer demand for low latency and strong security.”
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As expected, HarmonyOS is based on a micro-kernel, which makes it incredibly adaptable for specialist uses, for example, it will be a doddle to add an AI chip. It can also boast a Deterministic Latency Engine (DLE) which prioritises tasks for maximum efficiency.
HarmonyOS currently has associations with the ongoing trade war between the USA and China, which led to uncertainty over whether Huawei could carry on using Android and Windows at all. The truth is more nuanced – it’s believed Huawei has been working on HarmonyOS for seven years, though it could be that work accelerated as tensions grew in the big wide world.
No devices were launched that run HarmonyOS, but it will be coming first to IoT devices, before a budget handset, expected alongside the Mate 30 range (which will run Android).
One of the other names being bandied about for the new OS was “Ark”. It turns out the rumours were partly true, in as much as the compiler for Harmony is called Ark. It’s designed to allow developers to build a single app and deploy it over all form factors simultaneously.
“We believe HarmonyOS will revitalize the industry and enrich the ecosystem,” said Richard Yu. “Our goal is to bring people a truly engaging and diverse experience. 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.”
The first Harmony powered device will be the Huawei SmartScreen (and probably its Honor equivalent) due later this year.
