Getting back to the original question, I think Mozilla may very well have missed their best window of opportunity on this. They seem to have lost their edge. We keep on getting new versions of Firefox that don't seem much different from the old ones; things keep breaking without gettting fixed. I'm not too enthused about this new venture.
Yes the placement and pricing of the new OS would definitely be an interesting one. Like you I would want to see if it catches on and what impact it would have on the market vis-a-vis penetration and pricing.
There's a tremendous amount of activity in the mobile OS sphere. iOS, Android, Windows Phone, bada, Tizen, Sailfish, BB10, Unbuntu, Firefox and more. If Windows Phone hasn't been doing so poorly, I'd wonder whether BB10 had much of a chance. But with the poor market penetration of Windows Phone, BB10 has more of a chance, and cellular operators would like a successful third mobile OS.
@Alan thanks. Mine won't be published until tomorrow or maybe next week. I contributed to a BlackBerry 10 post that should go up tomorrow.
There's a lot going on in mobile right now. It seems like we were only talking iOS and Android for so long. BlackBerry has been off to the side while Windows Phone plugs along.
I'd like to read your blog, if you include a link. The Ubuntu blog will be posted this week or next week. And, I'm also writing a blog about the new BlackBerry 10 phones.
HTML5 apps are becoming increasingly popular, but they also have a way to go to compare to local apps. Both types of apps have value, and have advantages and disadvantages.
@Alan I can't wait to read what you have to say about Ubuntu for Phones. I have an upcoming blog about them too but you do a much better job of predicting the market for such things. I'm still not sure about the Firefox OS. Another commenter brought up the cost of data - that's a valid point I would like Firefox to address. I also wonder about the support of the OS and how that will be handled. All this with a new BlackBerry OS and you've got quite a mix of phones to choose... App developers will have a lot of platforms to work on. I think HTML5 apps will probably become more popular as they seem to be available on all devices, even BlackBerry 10.
You raise a good point about the cost of wireless Internet in emerging markets. In some markets, the cost of data is relatively inexpensive, but in others it is quite expensive. Also, cellular data speeds can significantly slower in some emerging markets, such as using GSM or EDGE speeds.
The Firefox OS relies on Web apps, so without access to the Internet through cellular or WiFi, the value of the OS would be greatly diminished.
This is similar to the Chromebook, although many Chrome OS Web apps also have features that can be used without Internet access, such as opening and editing Google Docs and Google Slides while offline, and then uploading the files when Internet connectivity becomes available.
I haven't read much about Firefox OS Web apps that are specifically for IT. However, since enterprises are increasingly using HTML5 and cloud services, I assume that there are ways to implement IT policies. Chromebooks can be managed via Google cloud services.
I really appreciate the advantages of my Chromebook, while realizing that it's not for everyone. If every feature (or most features) is/are accessed via the Web, security could be better than, say, Android phones. Chromebooks do have a small amount of internal memory and an SD card slot for accessing data that's transferred, such as videos, music and documents. Firefox OS handsets could conceivably work the same way.
By the way, Google promotes sandboxing in the Chrome OS as a security feature. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if virtualization could be accomplished on Firefox OS through Web services.
This is still new stuff, but for now, I'd think the Ubuntu mobile OS, which is the subject of an upcoming blog, would have more IT features because Canonical is specifically talking about that.
It will be interesting to see in which markets Firefox OS is available. I'm also interested in what the retail prices will be and whether they will indeed be significantly cheaper than traditional smartphones.
Mozilla certainly understands the importance of mobile, which is in many circumstances replacing the desktop but, at a minimum supplementing it. It needs to establish a presence in mobile, although it's cellular browser hasn't been especially popular.
So producing an entire mobile OS is one way to help establish its presence. It's also a way to promote Mozilla's vision of open standards.
Smartphones are still a minority share of the market in many countries. Also, they are relatively expensive. Mozilla and partners like Telefonica hope to expand their influence with less expensive devices, especially in emerging markets.
A key question is whether a Web-only OS can satisfy or even delight users. Are there sufficient HTML5 apps and will they work well enough to replace traditional apps stored locally? So far, HTML5 apps are useful, but far from replacing local apps.
If all the stars align properly, Firefox OS has a chance to succeed in certain markets. But it's a big gamble.
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In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M.
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As Mitch Wagner discussed today, Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr. The big Internet debate at the moment is whether Tumblr will be good or bad for Yahoo. Regardless of their stances on the future of Yahoo itself, many claim that Yahoo will somehow ruin Tumblr.
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While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
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Ushering in a new era of cognitive computing systems, IBM announced today the IBM Watson Engagement Advisor, a technology breakthrough that allows brands to crunch big data in record time to transform the way they engage clients in key functions such as customer service, marketing, and sales.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
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M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
