Huawei claims its operating system could rival Google or Apple

Huawei said its operating system HarmonyOS could rival Google or Apple despite experts’ concerns over its lack of high-profile apps.

The company focused efforts on creating its own OS after it was put on a US blacklist and cut off from Google’s Android.

According to CNBC, a company executive claimed HarmonyOS is in a position to “deliver an ecosystem” that can compete with Google and Apple. This statement is not backed by analysts who believe Huawei’s operating system could struggle outside of China as it will lack the high-profile apps that users want.

“It won’t be easy for Huawei to build up a library of premier applications outside of China, as many of them rely on Google for things like digital rights management, location, payment, and notification services,” Bryan Ma, vice president of devices research at IDC, told CNBC.

“Developers oftentimes have to be selective on which projects they spend their time on, and a key factor in that decision-making is whether there is enough of a critical mass in the user base to justify the time and effort spent in porting applications over,” Ma said.

Huawei executives spoke about HarmonyOS on Tuesday, playing up its ability to be an operating system that can work across a number of devices rather than just smartphones alone. The management also talked about the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), a collection of various Huawei apps from maps to payments to its app store.

HarmonyOS was launched in August and it’s part of the company’s move to forge a path ahead without American technology. The company is also trying to rely less on US microprocessor chips. It is shifting demand to Asian companies.