In May 2019, US President Donald Trump, citing security concerns passed an order blocking Huawei trading with American companies. This means the Chinese company would longer access patented technology in its devices such as software (Google Android/ Microsoft Windows OS) and hardware like chipsets (from Qualcomm).
Within a few months, Huawei in August announced the development of Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Core and introduced its own software HarmonyOS that can seamlessly work on all smart devices such as smartphones, computers, smartwatches and compatible with Internet-of-Things (IoT) gadgets.
It even demoed the software on prototype devices but lacked supporting applications to operate in a full-fledged manner.
Now, after a year, Huawei is all geared up to host the second edition of the annual Huawei Developer Conference (September 10-12, 2020) in Beijing. It is widely reported that more than 1.6 million software developers have registered for the programme.
Given the fact the company is offering monetary benefits, developers are said to eager to create alternate Android apps for the HMS AppGallery. Already, it has more than 66,000 apps, making it the third biggest platform after Google Play and Apple App Store, respectively
If things go as planned, Huawei is expected to bring the HarmonyOS-based smartwatch by the end of 2020. Whereas, the phone, PCs, and other IoT devices are likely to make their debut in 2021, local Chinese media reports.
But, it will be a long arduous journey for Huawei to replicate Gmail, Maps, and other Google apps and most importantly find traction among consumers outside China.
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