Huawei is planning to increase its HarmonyOS worldwide. HarmonyOS is Huawei’s personal telephone platform, which was launched in 2019 after US sanctions blocked Huawei from having additional entry to Google’s Android software program. Coincidently, it was the identical yr Microsoft stopped their Home windows telephone.
Huawei has set its sights on worldwide enlargement and intends to spend 2024 build up the native HarmonyOS app ecosystem, together with bringing the preferred smartphone apps to its platform.
The corporate is engaged on porting apps to HarmonyOS and inspiring different app builders to code for the platform. In accordance to Huawei, greater than 4,000 of these apps are already being transferred, and the corporate is “speaking with builders” on the 1,000 or so apps that stay.
Huawei’s rotating chairman, Eric Xu, stated
Within the China market, Huawei smartphone customers spend 99 % of their time on about 5,000 apps. So we determined to spend 2024 porting these apps over to HarmonyOS first in our drive to actually unify the OS and the app ecosystem. We’re additionally encouraging different apps to be ported over to HarmonyOS.
In accordance with Counterpoint Analysis, HarmonyOS has seen excessive progress due to the introduction of 5G smartphones powered by it, such because the Mate 60 Professional. The platform had 4 % of the worldwide market share within the fourth quarter of 2023 and exceeded 16 % of the market share in China. Counterpoint stated that is the third largest cell working system by handset gross sales, behind Android and iOS.
However what’s the story about Home windows telephones? In 2010, Microsoft entered the smartphone market with Home windows Cellphone. The platform provided a singular consumer interface, but it surely confronted challenges from the outset.
Android and iOS, launched earlier, had already secured a big market share and had a strong app ecosystem. This established app base discouraged builders from creating apps for Home windows Cellphone, creating an obstacle for the platform.
One other hurdle was Microsoft’s licensing mannequin. In contrast to the free and open-source nature of Android, Microsoft charged telephone producers a payment to make use of Home windows Cellphone. This barrier restricted the platform’s adoption by some producers.
Improvement of the platform formally ceased in 2019. Microsoft’s try and enter the smartphone market is a case research of the difficulties of competing in a longtime market with sturdy incumbents.
Whether or not there shall be a lot of a marketplace for HarmonyOS units outdoors of China is open to debate. Nevertheless, Huawei is set to make HarmonyOS successful and is investing closely within the platform.
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