TECH NEWS – The Chinese company’s operating system is trying to fight Microsoft, but it has several disadvantages against Windows 11…
Huawei finally launched its Windows 11 alternative a few days ago, and while it came with a number of impressive features, the OS doesn’t support sideloading. Huawei has taken a big step forward: from AI to consumer computing, the company has finally been able to vertically integrate its offerings. The company recently unveiled its operating system for consumer laptops, called HarmonyOS Next. This release is Huawei’s commitment to offer its customers an “ecosystem” similar to Apple’s approach, where the Chinese tech giant will now have an operating system that allows users to compute across platforms, which is a big deal for the company.
However, MyDrivers has been told that the operating system will not support sideloading of applications, which could be a serious drawback. Delving into the capabilities of HarmonyOS-Next, it turns out that the platform will only be offered in Huawei’s latest laptops and will not be available for use with older Huawei devices, as the company reportedly does not include backward compatibility. However, HarmonyOS Next will reportedly come with a number of AI-centric perks, such as a dedicated AI assistant, Celia, who can also act as an AI agent and perform tasks such as creating slideshows. The OS also comes with native applications such as WPS Office.
Huawei says the OS is inspired by Apple’s macOS, as it has a software shortcut bar at the bottom. However, one of the problems with HarmonyOS-Next is that it is not possible to load applications from the side. You would have to go to Huawei’s native app gallery to get the apps you need. This approach is similar to what the company does with its mobile devices, and is likely a move to ensure that Chinese consumers move away from reliance on Western software.
Given the traditional power of desktops/laptops, this certainly doesn’t favor Huawei, but since the company is specifically focused on the needs of Chinese consumers, its target audience shouldn’t have much of a problem.
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