Developing an operating system (OS) is notoriously difficult — not just because the technology is complex, but also because convincing app developers and users to adopt your system is enormously challenging. Microsoft's foray into cellphone operating systems in the early 2010s exemplifies this struggle, despite the huge advantages it enjoyed with Windows in the PC realm. Despite billions in investment and big talk of a new OS to rival the duopoly of Android and iOS, history ultimately hung up on Windows Phone.
The latest company attempting to crack the decades-long duopoly is China’s Huawei Technologies — a mission the company is not pursuing by choice, but out of necessity after the U.S. effectively banned it from using Android.
Huawei’s alternative, HarmonyOS, made headlines last week when the company formally entered the race to crack the Windows-Mac OS duopoly with the company’s rollout of a version of the OS for PCs. In conjunction with the move, Huawei also unveiled two new laptop models powered by the latest HarmonyOS 5.0 system.