Chinese company Huawei, blacklisted by the US, plans to create 100,000 apps for its Harmony operating system in the coming months.
The tech giant has more than 15,000 Harmony-based apps that can meet users' basic needs, but the ecosystem needs more personalised and boutique apps, Huawei chairman Xu Zhijun stated at a conference.
"Based on our analysis, for the Harmony ecosystem to be mature in meeting users' needs, the milestone is 100,000 apps, and that is the main target in the next six to 12 months," Xu said, Reuters reported.
The ambitious goal of creating apps underscores the urgent need to develop its own technology as China faces heightened tensions with the United States in areas ranging from trade to technology. US President-elect Donald Trump is likely to be even tougher on China.
Huawei launched its operating system five years ago after US sanctions ended support for Google's Android. The Shenzhen-based company, which sells products ranging from smartphones to laptops, later developed an open-source version of the Harmony system.
Because of the U.S. sanctions, "Huawei was forced to accelerate the development of its own operating system," Xu said. Although much progress has been made, "for any operating system, no matter how advanced it is, it will have no value if no one uses it," he continued.
Xu expressed hope that developers can work hard to enrich the applications on offer, and urged government agencies, state-owned companies and social organizations to use Harmony as their workplace operating system.
He asked users to be tolerant of the system's immaturity, saying, "The more people use it, the faster it will mature."
Huawei unveiled Harmony in August 2019, three months after Washington placed the company under trade restrictions over alleged security concerns. Huawei denies its equipment poses a risk. | BGNES
