Mozilla introduces new Firefox OS, potential of going forward on new strategy

Mozilla is going after the smartphone market unlike other web browser-making companies. Though it has a prominent presence in the mobile computing environment, it still felt the need of its own operating system. Recently the company announced its own Firefox OS that runs all applications on HTML 5.

The smartphone market is already fighting tooth and nail for survival and even bigger companies like Apple and Google are having a run for their money in the market. In these times, a nascent operating system has how many odds on its side.

Looking at the strategy, Mozilla is not pursuing the typical business model of going after iOS or Android like Microsoft or Research in Motion with Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10. The company will be launching the Firefox OS-based handsets in developing countries, starting from Brazil.

“We see an opportunity to serve users by converting them from feature phones to inexpensive smartphones,” said Mozilla’s Chief Technical Officer Brendan Eich. “The action is in the emerging market, not going up against the top end of the market in the US, where Android is chasing Apple.”

There are two benefits to the new operating system. One it runs apps on HTML 5 that most of users are already working on and a poll suggested that upon its arrival, developers will launch their applications on Firefox OS platform.

The second benefit of the OS is that it is Linux based, same as Android and uses W3C’s IPR that is royalty-free. Therefore, there is no fear of patent infringements; some of them have lately been flying between Apple and Google.

“I do think one of our biuggest benefits is in the standards process,” he explained. “W3C has a royalty-free patent protocol. Everyone has a chance to pull back their IPR or else to put it forward into the standard. When you get enough people in the standards body, you get royalty free standards.”

Will the new OS be successful? Only time can tell. But the strategy has the potential of going forward.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Sep 17 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.