Huawei has officially joined the mobile operating system arena with its very own OS for smartphones and other devices. But is it too late for the Chinese tech giant to play catch-up with Apple and Google?
At this point, a huge chunk of the smartphone and tablet markets already belongs to iOS and Android. The latest market share data show that at least 72% of smartphones and 45% of tablets run on Google's mobile OS, while at least 28% of the total market share is powered by Apple's famous operating system.
Considering the huge lead, Huawei would have to put a lot of effort into swaying consumers into trying an unknown mobile operating system. It would also take a lot of work before its new HarmonyOS NEXT could have as many apps as its counterparts from the Cupertino and Mountain View giants.
So to gently introduce its new offering and ensure its initial rollout would be a success, Huawei has decided to strategically launch it first through its coveted flagship Mate series. After last year's Mate 60, the all-new Mate 70 was unveiled on Tuesday, and it is said to be the first to run the HarmonyOS NEXT.
Considering the demand for the Mate series, the Chinese tech giant outfitted its latest model with the new OS out of the box. Since cutting ties with Google's Android OS in 2019, Huawei was forced to develop its own software. Its mobile devices then relied on its EMUI operating system, until the company introduced HarmonyOS via its Honor lineup.
This week, Huawei officially took the veil off the HarmonyOS NEXT, a proud moment for the company that really had to build a mobile OS from scratch. NEXT is its first fully-developed mobile OS that does not use open-source Android code.
"HarmonyOS Next has good potential as an alternative in China," Will Wong, senior research manager at IDC, told CNBC. "This is not only because of Huawei's brand name but also because it has been putting effort into attracting developers to join its ecosystem."
Unfortunately, there's no way stateside consumers and fans of Huawei could have access to it now. Huawei has only introduced the HarmonyOS NEXT-powered Mate 70 in its home country and biggest market, China, while still sorting out mounting challenges abroad. Should the initial release prove to be a success, perhaps the world could expect to see HarmonyOS NEXT after. Because only when it becomes available worldwide can the real competition begin.
