Huawei reportedly working on its own mobile operating system

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Huawei

Kirin is a name we have come to know thanks to Huawei’s chip lineup. It’s the name that the Chinese company uses for its HiSilicon processors. Like the Kirin 930 that is powering all its top of the range smartphones this year. It may as well be the name that will be used for its own mobile operating system. Yes, Kirin OS.

The decision to begin work on its own mobile OS may be informed by the need to be less dependent on Google’s Android and carve out an identity. Image is everything today. Just like Samsung has been toying with Tizen and LG with the WebOS it acquired. It really won’t hurt.

As much as Huawei may be keen on the future, developing one’s own operating system is a costly endeavour and those resources (time, money, labour etc) may well be utilized improving its hold of the smartphone and tablet market outside Asia into the expansive Western market and being the go-to mobile device brand in emerging markets. With the likes of Microsoft (Windows 10 mobile) and Blackberry allowing support for Android applications, Android’s dominant status and popularity cannot be understated and we really won’t be surprised if Kirin OS allows for porting of Android apps. That is if Kirin OS is a thing in the first place not mere speculation.

 

Via GizmoChina

3 COMMENTS

  1. The world does not need another mobile OS. When all these OS’s mature, they tend to look the same because users expect things to work and look in a certain way. Home and back buttons, notifications drawer, etc. Samsung and LG got into the business of OS’s mainly for their TV’s. You won’t be seeing Tizen/WebOS on any Samsung/LG flagship phone any time soon.
    I doubt Huawei would risk putting an unknown OS on their phone. Not after the the company publicly claimed to have made no money from their phones that came with Windows.

    • The real reason why Samsung went with Tizen and oversaw its development through the years is not so that it can put it on its TVs. Tizen is its platform for everything from wearables to smartphones to TVs to IoT devices (it confirmed this yesterday). TVs just happen to be what it is concentrating on at the moment. Tizen is a long term strategy. Things change pretty fast. There is no guarantee that Android will be dominant forever. It’s always good to have a backup solution that you control 100%. Big Android OEMs like Samsung pay lots of royalties to the likes of Microsoft and others with patents. That doesn’t augur well. LG just acquired WebOS the other day and is yet to come clean with its intentions about it other than just using it on its own TVs. Tizen budget phones are selling well as are Tizen high end wearables. Yet Samsung is yet to even scratch the surface with Tizen.

      I agree with you that there is no need for more OSs out there but it doesn’t hurt to try. Remember in large markets like China, they stand a chance.

  2. The world definitely needs a new operating system for mobile phones leave alone the wearable tech. I was happy when Nokia teamed with microsoft to give us the Windows ecosystem…my concern is that they offer something better than what is available or else there will be no point in it.I am waiting for that time when we shall be looking back at iOS as we are doing now for the Blackaberry OS

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