Harmony OS (Harmony OS) has been in front of the world for the first time in 2019, and it has been nearly two years now.
But up to now, most people still find it difficult to say clearly what "Hongmeng" is.
On the evening of June 2, Huawei held a press conference to officially release the new generation of Hongmeng operating system HarmonyOS 2 and a variety of products equipped with the system, and announced that the "hundred" mobile phone devices will start to upgrade the Hongmeng operating system.
In other words, mobile phones equipped with the Hongmeng operating system have become official products for the market.
Since the birth of Hongmeng, "domestic" and "the third largest operating system" have been the labels affixed to it. Then, what is the Hongmeng operating system on mobile phones?
Compared with Android and iOS, what are its characteristics?
Will other mobile phone manufacturers support it?
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News reporter Yang Peiwen
New features of mobile phones equipped with Hongmeng
1 Changlian circulation:
When you have multiple devices equipped with Hongmeng, the movies, music, and chat messages you play can be transferred from device A to device B;
2 Multi-camera mode:
If you have multiple shooting devices equipped with Hongmeng, you can select the cameras of other devices on a mobile phone to shoot;
3 Universal card:
This function is more based on the mobile phone itself, the universal card can be called up by sliding the APP icon, and the user can combine the personalized mobile desktop through the card.
Hongmeng system is here!
Based on the Internet of Things to launch "a unified language for different devices"
At this conference, Huawei's consumer business CEO Yu Chengdong, consumer business software president Wang Chenglu, and mobile phone product line president He Gang made their appearances successively.
Wang Cheng used a sentence to summarize the changes that Hongmeng operating system (hereinafter referred to as "Hongmeng") has brought to the current mobile phone system:
"In the era of smart phones, consumers have the opportunity to assemble software (referring to APP) according to their needs. Then, compared with today's operating system, Hongmeng has made another leap, allowing consumers to assemble different software according to their needs. Hardware."
Red Star Capital Bureau noted that after smartphones are equipped with Hongmeng, the obvious changes that consumers can feel are mainly reflected in three functions, namely, smooth circulation, multi-camera mode and universal card.
To explain these three functions clearly, we must first make it clear that the Hongmeng system is launched based on the Internet of Things.
For Hongmeng, Huawei’s official definition is “a distributed operating system for all scenarios”.
It probably means: Hongmeng can integrate multiple physically separated devices into a "super terminal" through distributed technology.
For example, many people now have smart home devices in their homes. Through specific APPs and systems, we can control the on and off of lights and the opening and closing of curtains; however, because different manufacturers are often not interconnected, users may need to use more An APP or even multiple operating systems.
What Hongmeng has to do is to break this predicament, as Wang Chenglu said, "The Hongmeng system is a unified language for different devices."
A clear-cut concept of "Internet of Everything"
Generally speaking, the system is mainly divided into two operating modes: one is Apple's mode, which uses both hardware and software, and is not open to third parties; the other is Android mode, which is open to third parties to cooperate with.
Looking at it now, Huawei is taking the latter route.
As early as September 2020, after Hongmeng 2.0 was officially unveiled, it was not Huawei mobile phones that were the first to be equipped with home appliances from brands such as Joyoung and Midea.
Regarding the order of Huawei's launching of Hongmeng, some insiders describe it as "surrounding mobile phones from smart home products."
In a sense, this is in line with Huawei's "1+8+N" strategy.
Among them, "1" refers to mobile phones, "8" refers to tablets, PCs and car machines, and "N" refers to general IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
Hongmeng started from "N", and now it gradually enters the "1+8" field.
However, the Red Star Capital Bureau noted that there are voices in the digital circle that the subversive nature of the Hongmeng system is not strong in nature.
At present, Apple, Xiaomi and others are also trying to do the Internet of Things, which can connect other products in the family through mobile phones.
"Like Apple, it also makes home smart products interconnection. The difference between the two is: one only uses its own hardware, Huawei can use other brands of hardware, and it has a clear-cut concept of'Internet of Everything'." There is an observation from the technology industry. The source told the Red Star Capital Bureau.
When interpreting the Hongmeng operating system, it is inevitable to compare with the giants on the two operating systems, Android and iOS.
According to StatCounter data, from April 2020 to April this year, Google's Android system accounted for 72.2% of the mobile operating system market share, Apple's iOS system accounted for 26.99%, and the others were less than 1%.
Android and iOS have almost monopolized the global market. In this context, how does Hongmeng break through?
How did Huawei break the game?
Create a new architecture: anchor the launch of the system in the Internet of Things era
"Huawei will never make another Android or another iOS. If you make another operating system for the same smart terminal, it will be of no value." Wang Chenglu said.
Compared with Android and iOS, Hongmeng's biggest feature is that it is not only a mobile phone operating system, but also an operating system for the Internet of Everything.
As long as mobile phones, TVs, tablets, cars and other terminals are equipped with the Hongmeng system, the software can be adapted between different platforms and no longer need to be developed separately.
In an interview with the Red Star Capital Bureau, communications expert Xiang Ligang referred to Hongmeng as the "next-generation operating system."
"Our previous operating system-computers used computer operating systems, and mobile phones used mobile phones; now, we hope to get through the operating systems of computers, mobile phones, and even cars. The traditional system architecture cannot. , There must be a new structure." Xiang Ligang said to the Red Star Capital Bureau.
According to the current release situation, Hongmeng is more like a system launched in the era of anchoring the Internet of Things.
According to the Economic Information Daily, citing GSMA data, it is predicted that the number of devices connected to the global Internet of Things will reach 25.2 billion in 2025.
During the forecast period, the market size will be almost four times its original size.
As the first operating system based on the Internet of Things era, Hongmeng can be said to occupy the "time" and "location".
As for "Renhe", Huawei needs to work hard to build a complete industrial ecological chain for Hongmeng.
Building an ecological chain: to cross the life and death line of 16% market share
"To build an operating system is not technically difficult. The ecology is the core. The breadth, depth and complexity of the ecology far exceed all single technologies." Wang Chenglu once said.
Xiang Ligang also told the Red Star Capital Bureau that the biggest problem for Hongmeng at present lies in the ecological chain.
"Hongmeng needs more applications to support, so that users can use different applications, and the experience is not affected."
The Red Star Capital Bureau has learned that Huawei's ecological chain construction mainly has two directions, southward and northward.
Among them, the south direction refers to equipment manufacturers, such as Joyoung, Midea and other home appliance brands; and the north direction refers to application developers.
According to media reports, in March this year, Android had about 20 million developers, iOS had about 24 million developers, and Hongmeng had millions of developers.
However, some users who have experienced Hongmeng in advance told the Red Star Capital Bureau that some Android apps are compatible with Hongmeng and are currently being used normally.
To what extent will the ecological chain be developed for Hongmeng to survive?
Yang Haisong, vice president of Huawei's consumer business AI and smart full-scenario business department, gave a number-16%.
"For an underlying platform such as an operating system, software usage and market share are the core factors for its survival and success, while the 16% market share is a life-and-death line." Yang Haisong said.
In order to cross the life-and-death line of 16% market share, Huawei's goal in 2021 is: the number of equipment equipped with Hongmeng needs to reach 300 million.
Among them, self-owned equipment accounted for 200 million, and the number of equipment of ecological partners was 100 million.
According to Yu Chengdong, Huawei has sold more than 1 billion full-scenario smart connection devices, including more than 700 million mobile phones on the Internet. About 90% of Huawei's stock and mobile phones on sale can be upgraded to the Hongmeng system.
About 700 million of the 1 billion units are mobile phones. In other words, most of Hongmeng's hopes are still pinned on mobile phone products.
Who will support Huawei?
Although Hongmeng's positioning is not limited to the mobile phone operating system, the domestic people have always been concerned: In addition to Huawei, which mobile phone brands will be equipped with Hongmeng in the future?
The Red Star Capital Bureau found that at present, none of the mainstream mobile phone manufacturers in China has made it clear that their phones will be equipped with Hongmeng.
Even the "pro-son" glory that has just been split from Huawei does not seem to dare to "adventure" easily.
"Honor is already a completely independent mobile phone brand, and will choose different operating systems at the appropriate time according to the development of the industry." Zhao Ming, the CEO of Honor, said that Android is still the first choice for Honor at the moment, but the use of Hongmeng will not be ruled out in the future.
It is worth mentioning that in Huawei's past shipments, mobile phones under the Honor brand are an indispensable part.
The Red Star Capital Bureau found that statistics indicate that the replacement cycle of Chinese mobile phone users is 2 years.
According to Huawei's 2019 annual report, the number of smartphones shipped that year exceeded 240 million units (including Honor); according to IDC data, in 2020, Huawei's annual shipments were 189 million units (including Honor).
In other words, there are about 429 million Huawei mobile phones being used by users. For every two Huawei mobile phone users, at least one of them must be upgraded to the Hongmeng system, and Huawei's goal of 200 million self-owned devices equipped with Hongmeng is possible. achieve.
Now, even Honor does not immediately carry Hongmeng, and Huawei seems to be a little farther away from the 16% line of life and death.
In addition to Honor, there are also other mobile phone manufacturers-Meizu stood up to support Hongmeng, but what Meizu uses to carry Hongmeng is not mobile phone products, but smart home business lines.
Why is there such a situation?
"On the one hand, these mobile phone manufacturers and Android itself cooperate very well; on the other hand, these mobile phone manufacturers may treat Huawei more as a competitor." Xiang Ligang told the Red Star Capital Bureau.
If Huawei manufactures mobile phones and promotes the Hongmeng system, for other mobile phone manufacturers, it will be like being an athlete and a referee. I am afraid it will be difficult to gain support on the mobile phone.
Looking at it now, the ecological chain is not yet complete, and Hongmeng may still have a long way to go.
Hongmeng's "first movers", how do you feel after experiencing it?
Experience users say this\
Fang Zhi (pseudonym) is a user of Huawei mate40. He told the Red Star Capital Bureau that in early May of this year, he received the push of the new system installation package and has been experiencing it for more than 20 days.
"Overall it is very good and very smooth." Fang Zhi told the Red Star Capital Bureau that although the Hongmeng system is installed in his mobile phone, he still uses an Android-compatible APP, which is compatible with Hongmeng.
Fangzhi revealed to the Red Star Capital Bureau that there is an APP icon sliding function (referring to the universal card) in the Hongmeng system. This is a new function and the experience is very good.
Users can customize according to their own preferences, so that different service cards will appear after sliding on the APP.
"Compared with Android, Hongmeng's biggest advantage is the Internet of Everything, which can connect many home appliances through mobile phone operations. However, I don't have many accessories, so I don't have any deep experience for the time being." Fang Zhi said.
The developers say this\
On the official website of Hongmeng Academy (a third-party platform for sharing information and technology of the Hongmeng system), many developers shared their views on the Hongmeng system.
Wei Dongshan, a former mentor of the Harmony OS Developer Innovation Competition, said that in 2020, he was exposed to the source code of Hongmeng for the first time, "(I) know that it is not only to replace Android, but to surpass Android." Wei Dongshan Said that Hongmeng is the first operating system that is visible, tangible, and produced for the Internet of Things.
"From a technical perspective, although there are many excellent IoT operating systems at home and abroad, they are limited to individual electronic products. Hongmeng connects electronic products."
Another Zhang Rongchao, who served as the instructor of the Harmony OS Developer Innovation Competition, said that from the perspective of developers, Hongmeng is by no means another version of Android, but a brand new, full-scene operating system.