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    Firefox OS Isn’t Mobile Market Game-Changer: 10 Reasons Why

    By
    Don Reisinger
    -
    July 2, 2012
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      Mozilla on July 2 announced that it€™s moving full steam ahead into the mobile market with a new smartphone operating system called, Firefox OS. The platform is designed to be Web-based, and will, Mozilla hopes, carve out a niche in the lower end of the market where Google€™s Android and Apple€™s iOS have so far not been so successful. By doing so, Mozilla thinks that its open-source platform could be a game-changer.

      But the fact is, Firefox OS is not a game-changer in the least. The operating system has some interesting concepts, but it€™s entering a market that it can€™t possibly be successful in. With smartphones on the way that won€™t impress anyone, how can the operating system really do something so special? It€™s not always smart to bet against Mozilla and its high quality products, but in this case, don€™t put your money on Mozilla.

      Read on to find out why Firefox OS isn€™t the game–changer that Mozilla and its supporters say it is.

      1. There€™s already Android

      Developing an open-source operating system is by no means special any longer. Android is already dominating that space and has given no indication that there€™s a possibility for another platform to succeed it. Until Mozilla can prove that its operating system is a fine replacement for Android, there€™s no way Firefox OS can succeed.

      2. It€™s gunning for the lower end of the market

      There€™s nothing wrong with going for the lower end of the market with Firefox OS, but it€™s important to keep in mind that that€™s not necessarily a very profitable space. Moreover, Android continues to make inroads into there, thanks to the low-cost (and sometimes, free) smartphones running on the platform that mobile phone carriers offer customers to get them to sign service contracts. The low end of the market won€™t be so nice to Mozilla.

      3. Firefox browser as the OS core won€™t work

      A key component in Firefox OS is its heavy reliance upon the Firefox browser. Mozilla believes that by making the browser the core of the operating system, it can deliver a more Web-friendly experience and create a scenario in which customers don€™t want traditional software. It€™s a neat concept, but even the Firefox browser isn€™t so popular that it makes all that much sense for customers.

      4. Is the Firefox OS too €œtechy€ for consumers?

      After Android launched, the term €œopen source€ became very recognizable to today€™s consumers. They understood what the term meant and they now embrace it. However, open source in and of itself is an easier concept to understand than what Mozilla is putting forth. Yes, the operating system is open source, but it€™s based on the browser and is reliant upon HTML5. Mozilla€™s greatest challenge might just be educating the public on what that all means for them.

      Firefox OS Isnt Starting From a Strong Position

      5. Emerging markets

      Mozilla has said that it will ship its first smartphones in Brazil and then extend its release to a host of other countries, including the U.S. However, it appears that Mozilla is targeting emerging markets with its operating system, but every other company delivering mobile products today is doing so as well. What€™s so unique about Firefox OS that people in those markets will want to use a new and unfamiliar mobile platform?

      6. It€™s following the losers

      Let€™s face it: Numerous companies have tried entering the mobile market to compete against iOS and Android and failed. Take, for example, webOS, an operating system that isn€™t so dissimilar to Firefox OS and has now all but faded from the market. Even RIM€™s BlackBerry OS is on death watch. Firefox OS needs something hugely impressive to be successful. And it doesn€™t appear to have it.

      7. There€™s a Symbian battle brewing (and that€™s not good)

      As noted, Firefox OS is gunning for both emerging markets and the lower end of the industry. There€™s just one issue: Symbian, an operating system that has been catering to those markets for years, is ready for a battle. Don€™t forget: Nokia might have turned its back on Symbian for higher-end smartphones, but it€™s still offering the OS in much of the rest of the mobile market. And although it has become synonymous with Nokia, Symbian is not tied to that company€™s ultimate fate. Symbian still has a future, and it€™s important to not forget that.

      8. Drastic changes aren€™t necessarily better

      There€™s no debating that Firefox OS is a major step up over what is currently available across the mobile marketplace. But drastic changes aren€™t necessarily better. In fact, they can sometimes fail miserably in the wake of stronger, more established competitors. Unless a miracle happens, that could very well be the Firefox OS fate.

      9. Mozilla: on the downturn?

      Another issue that might go overlooked by stakeholders is the fact that Mozilla itself is on somewhat of a downturn. The company€™s Firefox browser was once tapped to be the successor to Internet Explorer, but it€™s now losing ground to Chrome. Mozilla doesn€™t get the kind of attention it once did€”and that could hurt Firefox OS.

      10. Is there a tablet strategy?

      So far, Mozilla has really only focused its effort on smartphones. But in the mobile world, success in the smartphone space is far more attainable with an associated tablet strategy. Granted, Android devices and iPhones didn€™t require tablets, but in the post-iPad world, everything has changed. Mozilla must remember that.

      Follow Don Reisinger on Twitter by clicking here

      Don Reisinger
      Don Reisinger is a longtime freelance contributor to several technology and business publications. Over his career, Don has written about everything from geek-friendly gadgetry to issues of privacy and data security. He became an eWEEK contributor in 2009 producing slide shows focusing on the top news stories of the day. When he's not writing, Don is typically found fixing computers or playing an old-school video game.

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