Customers test a Huawei tablet powered by HarmonyOS at a Huawei outlet in Shanghai in June 2021. [Foto de Wang Gang/para China Daily]
Huawei Technologies Co on Wednesday unveiled an updated version of its self-developed operating system, HarmonyOS 3.0, as the Chinese tech heavyweight works to build a stronger software ecosystem amid US government sanctions.
Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s Device Business Group, said the company’s more than 300 million devices are now equipped with HarmonyOS, making it the fastest-growing operating system in the world.
Meanwhile, more than 170 million third-party products that are equipped with HarmonyOS Connect for the Internet of Things, or IoT, have also shipped from factories to retailers across China, Yu said.
HarmonyOS was first introduced in August 2019, after the US government restricted Huawei’s access to Google’s Android operating system. But Huawei has insisted that HarmonyOS is not a substitute for Android. Instead, it is a next generation operating system designed for the IoT era and will strive to provide a seamless experience across various devices.
HarmonyOS has already been used on a wide range of devices including smartphones, PCs, tablets, smart watches and smart home devices such as ovens. Huawei has also developed an in-car version of HarmonyOS for electric vehicles that it co-produced with Chinese automaker Ceres.
