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Huawei unveils first laptop running self-developed HarmonyOS as Windows licence expires

Huawei unveils first laptop running self-developed HarmonyOS as Windows licence expires

Huawei Technologies on Thursday unveiled its first laptop that runs the company's self-developed operating system, HarmonyOS, following the expiration of its Microsoft Windows licence for personal computers (PCs) in March.
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Stacked with artificial intelligence (AI) features, the laptop, which has not yet been named, operates HarmonyOS 5, also referred to as
HarmonyOS Next , the latest iteration of the system. Most Huawei laptops in the market currently run Windows, although some models offer the option to use open-source Linux.
The new laptop features Huawei's AI assistant, Celia, that is capable of performing tasks such as creating slides, summarising the minutes of a meeting and retrieving information from local documents, provided it has access to the necessary third-party software, according to state-backed newspaper Securities Times, citing Huawei's president of tablets and PCs, Zhu Dongdong.
HarmonyOS on PCs includes a wide range of software catering to both work and entertainment needs, such as
WPS, China's alternative to Microsoft Office , and Alibaba Group Holding's enterprise collaboration platform,
DingTalk , according to Chinese tech news outlet ITHome. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Huawei's licence to use Microsoft Windows on its personal computers expired earlier this year. Photo: Weibo/林捂捂
The laptop is also compatible with a growing selection of mobile apps available on HarmonyOS smartphones, including social media platform
RedNote , video-sharing site
Bilibili and ByteDance's enterprise collaboration tool
Feishu . By the end of the year, the device is expected to support over 2,000 apps, according to state-backed newspaper Nanfang Daily.
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