Huawei is releasing its own OS. And it is the desktop HarmonyOS that was promised 5 years ago

The Chinese are surprising with news about new OS. Not long ago, an open source operating system appeared, about

which we wrote

. Now Huawei has pleased us with another piece of news – the desktop HarmonyOS is getting ready to be released. Initially, it was installed on mobile devices, but now the company has firmly decided to create a desktop version. All the details about this are below.

What kind of operating system is this?

It was first announced in 2020 — but only as an Android version. At the same time, Huawei said that a desktop version was planned for release. But it was in no hurry to fulfill its promises.

As for the mobile version, its peculiarity is that it “understands” what device the software is launched on, adapting the application interface to a specific device. And these are wearable devices, smart TVs, and cars.

The second feature is the differentiation of access levels within the system. For example, if a device with HarmonyOS 2.0 does not have an NFC module, then the Bluetooth connection with the smartphone cannot be used to connect to Huawei Pay. The operating system determines the capabilities of the device on which it is running and allows the gadget to perform only the actions available in each specific case.

With the mobile OS, everything worked out, although there were problems. For example, the developers were accused of forking Android and creating their own OS on its basis. As a result, the Chinese reworked the operating system and now it is definitely not a fork (or a fork, but a very good one). This is about the mobile version.

Huawei recently announced the release of a desktop version of the operating system – this will happen before the end of 2024. Moreover, the company plans to adapt not a mobile platform at all, but a project called HarmonyOS Next. This OS does not have native support for Android applications, the Chinese tried to distance themselves from the Google platform.

Unfortunately, there is not much information — it is currently unclear what programs Huawei's OS will support. It is quite possible that APP files will be supported. For now, the company continues to release its Windows laptops, but gradually plans to switch to the new operating system — as soon as it is completely ready. Perhaps HarmonyOS Next supports running Windows applications. Without this feature, laptops with the new OS will be difficult to popularize — the vast majority of users need Windows programs.

What else?

Photos of HarmonyOS Next for PC have appeared online. Unfortunately, they were not posted by Huawei, but the company has not yet denied their authenticity. They suggest the company is trying to create a MacOS-like interface.

Below is a photo of a tablet running HarmonyOS Next for mobile devices. There is a resemblance to the screenshots of the desktop operating system that are being distributed online. The interfaces are different, but the similarity is still visible.

Huawei previously said that more than 4,000 native apps have already been developed for the new operating system. Huawei's official goal is to reach 5,000 local apps by the end of 2024 and 500,000 in the long term.

HarmonyOS Nex is currently only available in the first developer beta build, which was released at the end of June 2024. Outside of China, there are almost no devices with HarmonyOS.