Text| Fresh Christie
The de-Android of domestic mobile phones seems to have become a new trend.
In September this year, Huawei announced that the new HarmonyOS NEXT is ready to be launched, and the HarmonyOS native application is fully launched. Since HarmonyOS NEXT can only use the installation package in Hap format, this means that HarmonyOS will no longer be compatible with Android apps, and Huawei has taken the second step to get rid of Android. For a time, all major Internet companies are accelerating their integration into the HarmonyOS ecosystem and accelerating the development of HarmonyOS native applications, and HarmonyOS development engineers have become popular talents in the workplace.
According to incomplete statistics, as of December 11, more than 100 companies have joined the HarmonyOS native application camp, including Alipay, Meituan, Qunar, Xiaohongshu and other leading manufacturers, and most manufacturers have started HarmonyOS native application development, such as Xiaohongshu and some game manufacturers have completed the beta version or full version development.
01
HarmonyOS after "flying solo".
Why do large manufacturers want to enter the "HarmonyOS Circle of Friends", what are the benefits and costs of the HarmonyOS system after "flying solo"? Can it gain a firm foothold in the two camps of Android and iOS?
The core reason why large manufacturers are actively joining the HarmonyOS camp is business value. On the one hand, the launch of HarmonyOS native app development means that apps can be deeply integrated into Huawei's HarmonyOS ecosystem, providing smoother and more efficient services with the help of Huawei's advantages in technology and hardware, and expanding market share globally. After all, the number of HarmonyOS ecological devices has exceeded 700 million, and more than 2.2 million developers have participated in the development of the HarmonyOS ecosystem, which fully demonstrates the popularity and development potential of the HarmonyOS system in the market.
On the other hand, in order to attract developers to join the new ecosystem, Huawei has opened up the largest investment in history to partners, such as the three-year "Hongfei Plan" launched in August this year, sharing resources such as technical support, ecological marketing, business cooperation, and developer support funds, which is also an advantage for software vendors.
As for why Huawei Hongmeng is obsessed with getting rid of Android, the reason is very simple, it is to establish its own software ecology, get rid of the dependence and restrictions on Android, and become a real native pure-blooded domestic system.
This is actually a clear goal at the beginning of the release of HarmonyOS, which is to gradually evolve from ASOP dual frameworks to single frameworks, and has repeatedly reiterated that in the future, HarmonyOS will be separated from AOSP and run under the OpenHarmony single framework.
Huawei's actions in recent years can also be seen by everyone, from the birth of Hongmeng to the application on mobile phones, Huawei spent two years, from zero to 700 million units, Huawei spent another two years, Huawei successfully built Hongmeng into a behemoth in 4 years, constituting a set of ecosystems belonging to China, and the alternative framework was also built in stages at a speed visible to the naked eye. With so many models and so many users involved in a project of this size, Huawei is worthy of the industry's admiration for its trading capabilities.
Another reason is that Android is not as good as it could be. At present, the Android ecosystem is very perfect, but there are also many drawbacks, due to the open characteristics, lag and security have become inevitable problems. In addition, with the continuous development of the Android system, the amount of code has become extremely large, and mobile phone manufacturers need to sort out little by little when they want to add some innovative features, and the workload increases.
Through its own underlying architecture, HarmonyOS can reduce the workload of developers while ensuring security, make it easier to add innovative functions, and ensure the smoothness and purity of the system, so that their mobile phones have a stronger differentiated competitive advantage. For example, at present, Huawei's HarmonyOS system, like Apple's iOS system, has achieved the purity of the application source, which is equivalent to a pure mode that is turned on by default, and the relevant App needs to support the "Huawei Terminal Quality Inspection and Security Review Standards", which eliminates viruses, vulnerabilities, malicious behaviors and other problems.
Last but not least, in order to meet the needs of the era of the Internet of Everything. You must know that Huawei Hongmeng was not developed for mobile phones at the beginning, but aimed at the background of the Internet of Things in the era of the Internet of Things. At present, HarmonyOS can support the operation of devices from KB to GB, covering mobile phones, headphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, cars and other fields.
02
What challenges do you still face to get rid of Android completely?
Of course, it is also a great challenge for Huawei to completely get rid of the Android system and build a pure-blooded OS, whether it is to build a prosperous and diverse HarmonyOS ecosystem, or to achieve "HarmonyOS single framework operation", it is not a simple matter. As early as 2021, Yu Chengdong revealed that the R&D and promotion expenses of the Hongmeng system have exceeded 50 billion yuan, and building an ecological moat is a protracted task, and I believe Huawei still has a long way to go.
It is worth mentioning that it is not only Huawei that aims at the self-developed system, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Meizu and other domestic mobile phone manufacturers have been rumored to be conducting system self-research in the past two years, among which Xiaomi launched a new self-developed system surging OS in November this year, planning to become the future of 10 billion devices, 10 billion connections, the public base of the Internet of Everything, and build a whole ecology of people, vehicles and homes.
03
The market needs disruptors
But we have to be clear,Whether it's a "slightly small" HongmengOS,Or the fledgling surging OS,Although they claim to be a self-developed system,But from the bottom point of view, it is still subject to Android,Failed to really de-Android。 However, compared with the surging OS, which also uses AOSP architecture, the new version of Hongmeng has been put on the agenda, and the new system base is self-developed with a full stack, removing the traditional AOSP code, and with the addition of a large number of Internet manufacturers, the future is good.
Personally, I am still optimistic about the development of the HarmonyOS system, after all, Huawei has enough technical strength and market influence, as well as enough strategic vision and execution to realize the vision of the HarmonyOS system. I also hope that HarmonyOS can become the third largest system after Android and iOS, bringing more choices and innovation to users. Android and iOS have been dominant for too long, and it is not a bad thing for users to need a new competitor to stir up the market.