In the rapid change of digital technology, China's mobile phone industry is facing a historic turning point.
The latest data reveals a striking fact:The market share of the HarmonyOS system has soared, and Huawei mobile phones have become the domestic leader. The story behind this is not just a numbers game, but a profound technological revolution and a battle of business strategies.
A new operating system intended to shake up the duopoly of Android and iOS, bringing unprecedented changes to the Chinese mobile phone market.
But why are other domestic mobile phone brands hesitant to embrace this change? The reasons behind this are complex and nuanced, involving multiple factors such as international politics, market competition and technological autonomy.
By the fourth quarter of 2023, a striking phenomenon has emerged in the mobile phone market: the market share of the HarmonyOS system has broken through the 15% mark, a figure that is far from the critical 16%".The line of life and death"Just one step away.
By 2024, Huawei will not only successfully cross this threshold, but also firmly occupy the top spot in the domestic mobile phone market with its strong market performance.
Behind this report card is Huawei's dual breakthroughs in technology and market strategy.
Huawei's HarmonyOS Next version, also known as "Galaxy Edition", marking a major upgrade of the HarmonyOS system. The biggest feature of this version is that it is completely independently developed by Huawei, getting rid of the dependence on Android AOSP**, and only supports pure-blooded Hongmeng APP.
This move is undoubtedly a bold attempt by Huawei to establish an independent software ecosystem. According to official data, hundreds of companies have responded to Huawei's call and started to develop the HarmonyOS app.
Huawei expects that more than 5,000 HarmonyOS native apps will be available by this year. This not only means that Huawei has taken a solid step on the road to full de-Androidization, but also indicates that China will have a completely autonomous mobile ecosystem.
However, in the face of Huawei's innovative move, other domestic mobile phone manufacturers are extremely cautious.
In the eyes of many industry insiders and consumers, Huawei's success seems to open the door, indicating that Chinese mobile phone brands will be expected to break away from their dependence on Android and create a new mobile ecosystem that belongs to Chinese.
But the reality is far from simple.
First of all, Huawei's success is partly due to its strong comprehensive strength and diversified business layout. Under the severe sanctions imposed by the United States, Huawei has not only made adjustments in its mobile phone business, but also successfully transformed its business into a variety of fields, including communications, PCs, automobiles, servers, and artificial intelligence.
This diversified business strategy has provided Huawei with more solid support in the fierce market competition. In contrast, the business scope of other domestic mobile phone brands is relatively single, mostly concentrated in the field of mobile phones.
If they face external pressure and sanctions like Huawei's, they are likely to be too much to bear.
Secondly, for mobile phone brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo, the proportion of sales in overseas markets is extremely important. The data shows thatXiaomi's mobile phones account for more than 70% of sales in overseas markets, while OPPO and vivo's overseas market sales have also reached about 50%.
This means that once they decide to adopt the HarmonyOS system, they will inevitably face a huge risk of abandoning overseas markets. For these brands, abandoning overseas markets is tantamount to cutting themselves off, and it is undoubtedly a risk they are not willing to try lightly.
In addition, although Huawei's HarmonyOS system has performed strongly, its popularity and recognition in the international market still need to be improved.
For those mobile phone brands that rely on overseas markets, switching to the HarmonyOS system means that they need to rebuild the software ecosystem and user habits on a global scale, which is undoubtedly a difficult and uncertain task.
Therefore, even if the HarmonyOS system is technologically advanced, it will be difficult for it to become the first choice of these brands in a short period of time.
Behind the rise of the HarmonyOS system and the success of Huawei, the hesitation and wait-and-see attitude of other domestic mobile phone manufacturers actually reflects a series of complex challenges faced by the entire industry.
It's not just a matter of technology choice, it's a decision of strategic direction and market positioning.
First of all, technological autonomy and innovation have always been the core driving force for the development of any industry. Huawei's HarmonyOS system has been able to rise rapidly in the domestic market due to its continuous investment and innovation in software development and ecosystem construction.
This spirit of independent research and development is commendable, but it is not easy for other mobile phone manufacturers to follow up quickly. What they need to weigh is not only the cost and time of technology development, but more importantly, how to find their own development path in the existing market landscape.
Secondly, the internationalization of the mobile phone market has become an irreversible trend.
For brands that rely on overseas markets such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo, any replacement of operating systems means a re-evaluation and layout of the existing market. They need to consider not only the acceptance of domestic consumers, but also the reaction of the international market.
After all, market acceptance is directly related to the global competitiveness of a brand.
Let's look at the construction of user habits and application ecology. A new operating system not only requires a lot of investment from developers, but more importantly, it needs to win the recognition of users and change habits.
The strength of Android and iOS lies not only in their technology, but also in the fact that they have built a large and mature application ecosystem. Changing habits is often more difficult for users than switching to technology.
In addition, there is another factor that cannot be ignored - the influence of the international political environment. Huawei's choice to develop its own HarmonyOS system is not unrelated to the political pressure it faces in the global market.
Other domestic mobile phone brands must also consider this level of factors when considering whether to adopt the HarmonyOS system. What they need to measure is not only technology and market choices, but also survival strategies in the international political environment.
Finally, brand independence and differentiated competition are also important factors for every mobile phone manufacturer to consider. In a diversified and highly competitive market, how to maintain the independence and characteristics of the brand is a problem that every manufacturer needs to face.
If all domestic mobile phone manufacturers choose to use the same operating system, they may lose the uniqueness and competitiveness of the brand to a certain extent.
To sum up, despite the strong potential of the HarmonyOS system and Huawei's remarkable achievements in driving its development, the challenges and considerations faced by other domestic mobile phone manufacturers in making decisions are far more complex than they seem on the surface.
They have to consider not only technological advancements and innovations, but also market demand, user habits, the international political environment, and brand independence.
Therefore, although the HarmonyOS system represents the possibility of the future, it is still Huawei's path alone for the foreseeable future, while other domestic mobile phone brands need more time and more consideration to decide their future direction.
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