On May 8th, the HarmonyOS-powered computer was officially unveiled in Shenzhen, marking an important breakthrough for domestically developed operating systems in the personal computer field.

Screenshot from official website

The HarmonyOS operating system is not unfamiliar to the general public. This is a full-scene intelligent operating system developed by Huawei, which was initiated in 2015 and has completed in less than 10 years what peers took 30 years to achieve. In 2019, Huawei officially released the HarmonyOS operating system, and in 2021, this system was officially integrated into smartphones. The newly launched HarmonyOS computer, after five years of research and development involving over ten thousand engineers from more than 20 research institutes, has accumulated over 2700 core patents.

The breakthrough of the HarmonyOS computer lies in its "reconstruction from the kernel" underlying logic. For a long time, operating system software has been dominated by Europe and America. HarmonyOS has undergone a comprehensive renewal. Unlike most traditional domestic operating systems that are mostly based on Linux kernels for secondary development, the fully self-developed HarmonyOS kernel has completely rid itself of external dependencies. This "gene-level innovation" makes the HarmonyOS kernel surpass the Linux kernel in terms of security, smoothness, and performance improvement.

Of even greater strategic significance, the HarmonyOS system has achieved the first integration of mobile and desktop ends. Through the distributed architecture of HarmonyOS, computers can form seamless collaboration with phones, tablets, cars, and smart home appliances, creating a full-scene interconnected experience. Users can directly access car navigation data or smart home control interfaces from the computer end. This cross-terminal collaborative capability precisely targets the痛点of Microsoft's Windows system's "device island" issue.

The competition in operating systems has never been about a single-point technological breakthrough but rather a battle of ecosystems.

"Using someone else's system and paying the rent for the ecosystem." This accurately describes the pain points of China's personal computer market over the past 30 years. According to market research data, as of April this year, Microsoft's Windows system holds a steady 71.06% share of the global desktop operating system market, while Apple's macOS holds 15.64%, ranking second. These two systems account for nearly nine-tenths of the market, leaving only one-tenth for other operating systems. Development toolchain licensing fees, enterprise-level service subscription fees, and hidden control of user data... Chinese consumers have no choice but to pay the "digital tax" to Microsoft or Apple for their computers.

Huawei's standing director Yu Chengdong announced the release of HarmonyOS 5 at the launch ceremony on October 22, 2024. Bai Yu (Xinhua News Agency).

The emergence of the HarmonyOS computer has broken this situation. For the first time, a domestically developed operating system has torn open the long-monopolized iron curtain of Windows and macOS in the personal computer field. From smartphones to personal computers, the HarmonyOS system leverages its full-scene intelligent ecosystem as a fulcrum to reshape the trillion-dollar market landscape. It brings not only an alternative solution for operating systems but also a brand-new ecosystem encompassing chip architecture, software development, and hardware adaptation.

The breakthrough of HarmonyOS coincides with a period of turmoil in the global operating system landscape, with strategic value far exceeding the product itself. Microsoft faces anti-monopoly investigations from multiple countries, and Apple's closed macOS ecosystem stifles innovation, creating a rare window of opportunity for HarmonyOS. Data shows that the HarmonyOS operating system ecosystem devices have exceeded 1 billion units, with 7.2 million registered developers and over 110 million lines of code, achieving complete self-research and development from the operating system kernel, file system to programming languages, artificial intelligence frameworks, and large models. This scale effect will accelerate the formation of "HarmonyOS standards" and "HarmonyOS ecosystems."

In terms of market share, the HarmonyOS system has already crossed the "survival line." Over the past 20 years of development experiences in the computer industry and mobile industry indicate that a 16% market share is a watershed. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the market share of the HarmonyOS system in China's mobile phone systems reached 19%, while iOS's market share was 17%. The HarmonyOS system has surpassed Apple's iOS in market share for four consecutive quarters, firmly securing second place in the Chinese mobile phone system market.

Of course, challenges remain formidable. The success of mobile systems does not necessarily mean the success of computer systems. In terms of software adaptation, there are a vast number of desktop software globally, while the current HarmonyOS application market only covers high-frequency scenarios. Whether it is more software adaptation, user habit migration, or developer ecosystem cultivation, each requires long-term efforts. Achieving all-round prosperity still requires the joint efforts of more developers.

The multi-year technical Long March of HarmonyOS has enabled Chinese operating systems to undergo a qualitative change from "usable" to "good." The moment the HarmonyOS computer lit up its startup interface in Shenzhen, it was not just the birth of a new product but also a witness to the dawn of a new era of ecological awakening in China's information industry.

Source: Economic Daily

Author: She Huimin

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503080682810393140/

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