Huawei's HarmonyOS-Next Is Expected To Be Limited To Modern Laptops & Won't Feature Backward Compatibility
Huawei has been making significant advancements in the tech field. From AI to consumer computing products, the company has succeeded in vertically integrating its offerings. The firm recently unveiled its OS for consumer laptops, called the HarmonyOS Next. This release is Huawei's commitment to offering its customers an ecosystem of products, similar to Apple's approach. The Chinese tech giant will now have an OS that will give users the power to cross-platform computation, which is a massive deal for the company. But, it is claimed via MyDrivers that the OS won't support sideloading of applications, which could be a major deal-breaker that we will discuss later on.
HarmonyOS-Next's capabilities are limited to Huawei's latest laptops, and it will not be compatible with older Huawei devices due to the company not including backward compatibility. However, HarmonyOS Next is said to feature several AI-oriented features, such as a dedicated AI assistant named Celia, who also works as an AI agent and can perform tasks such as creating slides. In addition, the OS is loaded with native applications like WPS Office.
It is claimed that the OS was inspired by Apple's macOS since it comes with a software shortcut bar at the bottom. However, a problem with HarmonyOS-Next is that you cannot sideload applications. You would have to refer to Huawei's native "App Gallery" to get the required applications. This approach is in line with what the company does with its mobile devices, and it is probable that it aims to persuade Chinese consumers to stop relying on Western software.
Given the power users traditionally have on desktops/laptops, it is certainly something that doesn't work in the favor of Huawei. However, given that the company focuses specifically on the needs of Chinese consumers, its targeted audience won't have much of an issue.
