HarmonyOS NEXT Public Beta Test Begins: Native HarmonyOS Ecosystem Reaches Critical Mass, Sailing Towards a Trillion-Dollar Blue Ocean

HarmonyOS NEXT Public Beta Test Begins: Native HarmonyOS Ecosystem Reaches Critical Mass, Sailing Towards a Trillion-Dollar Blue OceanOn September 24th, Huawei held its annual Autumn Full-Scenario New Product Launch event. While a series of new products were unveiled, the most noteworthy announcement was the upcoming public beta test of HarmonyOS NEXT

HarmonyOS NEXT Public Beta Test Begins: Native HarmonyOS Ecosystem Reaches Critical Mass, Sailing Towards a Trillion-Dollar Blue Ocean

On September 24th, Huawei held its annual Autumn Full-Scenario New Product Launch event. While a series of new products were unveiled, the most noteworthy announcement was the upcoming public beta test of HarmonyOS NEXT. During the event, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, declared that the public beta test of HarmonyOS NEXT would officially kick off on October 8th. The initial models participating in the beta program include the Huawei Mate60 series, Huawei MateX5 series, and Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 series. Users can apply for the upgrade through the "Upgrade Preview" feature within the "My Huawei" app.

"Native HarmonyOS is a new life," Yu stated at the event. "We have achieved in one year what it took other operating system ecosystems over a decade to accomplish, a feat unprecedented in industry history." He emphasized the desire to collaborate with users in building a shared HarmonyOS world and invited beta participants to provide feedback and suggestions through the "Huawei Fans Community" in the "My Huawei" app, contributing to the development of HarmonyOS.

Since the official introduction of HarmonyOS NEXT to enterprise developers at HDC2023 on August 4, 2023, the system has undergone significant evolution and development. Whether it be user experience or application ecosystem construction, HarmonyOS NEXT has yielded substantial results. The commencement of the public beta test now marks a turning point, signifying the maturation of the native HarmonyOS application ecosystem. This milestone holds immense significance for both the HarmonyOS ecosystem itself and the broader mobile industry.

Huawei's New Masterpiece: Full-Stack Self-Research, Boasting Three Unique Advantages

As Huawei's latest creation, HarmonyOS NEXT is a full-scenario intelligent operating system achieved through full-stack self-research. From the operating system kernel and file system to programming languages, compilers/runtimes, programming frameworks, design systems, integrated development environments, AI frameworks, and large models, HarmonyOS NEXT ensures the core technology of the operating system is under its complete control.

Building upon this foundation, HarmonyOS NEXT further introduces three unique advantages: native intelligence, native security, and full-scenario coverage.

Native Intelligence: Full-Stack Native Intelligent Architecture, Fostering HarmonyOS Native Apps and XiaoYi Intelligent Entities

In terms of native intelligence, HarmonyOS NEXT supports a full-stack native intelligent architecture, upon which HarmonyOS native applications and XiaoYi intelligent entities are built. This enables HarmonyOS NEXT to better understand user needs and provide more intelligent services.

Native Security: Xingdun Security Architecture, Ensuring Ecosystem Purity, Control Over Privacy, and Data High Security

Concerning native security, HarmonyOS NEXT has reconstructed the operating system's security framework, introducing the Xingdun Security Architecture. Through hardware-software synergy combined with the HarmonyOS kernel, a pure governance architecture, privacy protection architecture, data security architecture, and distributed security architecture, HarmonyOS NEXT delivers a secure user experience characterized by ecosystem purity, control over privacy, and high data security.

Full-Scenario Coverage: One System Connecting the Boundaries of the Digital World, Enabling Seamless Collaboration Among Devices

In terms of full-scenario coverage, HarmonyOS NEXT utilizes one system to break down the barriers of the digital world. A vast array of terminals operate under a single system, ensuring a unified experience for applications within the same ecosystem across different devices. Features like multi-screen collaboration, super terminal, and super desktop enable seamless full-scenario collaboration among devices.

Rapid Ecosystem Growth: A New Era of Blue Ocean Has Opened

Remarkably, the growth rate of the HarmonyOS NEXT application ecosystem is unprecedented in the history of operating system development.

On January 8, 2024, Huawei held the HarmonyOS Ecosystem "Thousand Sails Setting Sail" Ceremony in Shenzhen, announcing the opening of application submissions for the HarmonyOS NEXT "Harmony River" developer preview. The initial batch of over 200 application manufacturers are actively accelerating the development of native HarmonyOS applications. By April 7,

2024, over 4,000 applications had joined the native HarmonyOS ecosystem.

During the HDC2024 conference on June 21st, HarmonyOS NEXT initiated the official beta upgrade for developers and early adopters. Concurrently, native HarmonyOS applications entered a full-fledged sprint phase, with over 5,000 commonly used apps initiated for development, of which over 1,500 have been successfully launched. Meanwhile, the number of HarmonyOS ecosystem devices has surpassed 900 million, with 2.54 million HarmonyOS developers actively contributing to the HarmonyOS world.

At the Huawei Full Connect Conference held on September 21st, Zhu Yonggang, President of Huawei's Terminal Cloud, disclosed further progress in the HarmonyOS NEXT ecosystem. Over 10,000 applications and metaservices, accounting for 99.9% of consumer usage time, have been listed on the HarmonyOS app market, spanning 18 vertical sectors including automotive, education, travel & accommodation, finance & wealth management, business & office, shopping comparison, audio & video entertainment, utility tools, and gaming.

The Key Behind Ecosystem Development: Huawei's Emphasis on Developer Ecosystem and Partnerships

The remarkable growth rate of the HarmonyOS NEXT ecosystem is underpinned by Huawei's relentless ecosystem advancement efforts and the unwavering support of developers and HarmonyOS ecosystem partners. Notably, Huawei's prioritization of the developer ecosystem and partnerships forms the bedrock of this success.

Huawei has repeatedly emphasized that the HarmonyOS ecosystem belongs to every developer, and the outstanding achievements in HarmonyOS ecosystem construction are inseparable from the dedication of every developer. In the past year, developers have provided hundreds of thousands of technical suggestions, contributing to the remarkable ecosystem adaptation progress achieved by HarmonyOS NEXT. This includes:

• Reaching 50 metaservice launches within 6 months

• Integrating 75 applications with AI widgets within 6 months

• Completing performance optimization for over 200 applications within 3 months

• Achieving one-time development and multi-device deployment for 70 applications within 6 months

Furthermore, over 70 partners have built over 120 third-party frameworks/SDKs, ISV manufacturers have generated 25 industry baseline templates, and 9 ecosystem partners have provided 11 open-source tools.

From its inception, Huawei has strategically prioritized uniting developers, placing them front and center in its "prepare the ground before the troops move" approach. Huawei has created numerous development technologies and tools, including distributed technology, the Ark compiler, super terminal, metaservices, one-time development and multi-device deployment, and the Ark engine. These empower developers to efficiently and conveniently develop within the HarmonyOS system, unleashing their creativity.

Simultaneously, Huawei has facilitated the efficient development of HarmonyOS metaservices, providing nearly 50 ready-to-use scenario-based widgets, over 3,000 metaservice APIs, and a cloud-integrated development kit that enhances development efficiency by 40%. This enables one-time development and multi-device deployment, streamlining developer integration into the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

A Mutual Pursuit: Sailing Towards a Trillion-Dollar Blue Ocean

In essence, the HarmonyOS NEXT ecosystem construction is a collaborative effort between Huawei and its partners. In just over a year, they have accomplished what other systems have taken a decade or more to achieve. Huawei is merely one ship in the HarmonyOS ecosystem, and their mission is to join forces with thousands of other vessels and ride the wave of momentum towards a trillion-dollar blue ocean.

This blue ocean is undoubtedly a destination brimming with promise and worth reaching for. The launch of HarmonyOS NEXT itself is not only a testament to Huawei's technological innovation but also a significant breakthrough for China in the realm of operating systems.

According to recent research from Counterpoint Research, Huawei's HarmonyOS surpassed Apple's iOS in the Chinese market for the first time in the first quarter of this year. This implies that HarmonyOS has broken the long-standing duopoly of Android and iOS, solidifying its position as the second-largest operating system in China.

As HarmonyOS NEXT gradually embarks on its commercialization journey through public beta tests and subsequent official releases, its continuous technological advancements and ecosystem refinement will pave the way for wider adoption and greater commercial value in the future.

From deeply understanding the trends of the times to leading the way in development, HarmonyOS has conquered numerous obstacles. Each step it takes propels us closer to a future of interconnected devices and intelligent interactions. Moreover, it showcases China's independent technological innovation capabilities and international competitiveness, injecting continuous momentum into the construction of a digital economic powerhouse.