Firefox OS

Firefox OS

 Could this open web-based OS revolutionise the smartphone industry?

 A touch of idealism

 The idea that a web-based operating system built to open standards can transcend and disrupt the market for mobile devices may be idealistic, but is not without merit. Andreas Gal sees the OS as a realistic proposition for the “billions of users who are expected to come online for the fi rst time in the coming year.”  “Alongside the tremendous growth and competition that we see in the mobile industry today,” he says, “unmet needs and great opportunities remain.” Firefox OS can run highgrade  web apps on a low-end feature phone and “deliver a better smartphone experience to a higher proportion of the population.”  

                     As evidence, he cites the “58 per cent of  devices sold in Latin America that cost less than $100.” This market is out of reach for iOS or Android, but is a perfect fi t for Firefox which has “a much lighter footprint” and can act as a vehicle for web apps on low-end devices. The OS and apps are “one layer closer to the hardware, so less memory and CPU is needed to give the same performance. In short, we can get more out of the hardware.”  At the anecdotal level, at least one developer has reported favourable results running JavaScript games on Firefox OS on a very lowend  £50 device.

                             “You may expect them to run pretty poorly but they not only run much faster han the same games running in an Android browser on the same device, they run as fast, if not faster than the same game running in an Android browser on a much better device that costs four or five times as much.”

                  All the same, Gal is careful to emphasise that “this initiative is not about bringing cheaper smartphones to market.” Lowend  to mid-range mobile phones are an obvious entry point, but the focus is on “delivering a better performance on devices – especially those that are at the low pricepoint  end of the device market, but not limited to that.”

THE WEB IS THE PLATFORM

 To the Firefox developers the OS is the embodiment of Mozilla’s ideals for the open web and “represents what is possible with HTML5, so”, says Andreas Gal, “we want to get it into consumers’ hands but also encourage adoption of open web approaches throughout the mobile industry.”  “The rate of innovation in the mobile industry is being hampered,” he contends, “by closed systems and a built-in preference for native apps rather than the web. 

                                  This creates closed communities and fragmentation, as well as a high barrier to entry for content creators.” Firefox OS can be counted a success if it succeeds in pushing the idea that the open web is a real alternative to ‘native apps’ written to proprietary APIs. A web-based approach not only provides a cheaper and cleaner way of delivering apps to the end user, with enhanced performance, but changes the game, vis-à-vis end-user experience and the ability of providers to play the game. “As billions of users are expected to come online for the fi rst time in the coming years,” says Gal, 

                                 “it is important to deliver a compelling smartphone experience that anyone can use, and HTML5 is crucial for success with developers as well as users.”  He points out that HTML5 is already a key component in many of the native apps written for iOS or Android, and says that “36% of all mobile apps already use, or are completely written in, HTML5/CSS/JS” albeit within “a native wrapper”. 

                           Just as importantly, “there is a huge resource of HTML5 developers around the world and their collective innovation could spur major advancements,” which is an opportunity missed by current smartphone manufacturers. “HTML5 is open and non-proprietary, which will drive far greater innovation over time.” HTML5 apps will run without the browser, and are kept in a cache when the device is offl ine. 

                           “People need the freedom to experience the web in their own way, enabling them to consume things and also build and create the world they want. It is important to encourage communities of people to develop open source software that embodies [the idea of an open web] and pass this empowerment onto others.” The great advantage of a truly open source mobile operating system is that it provides “cross-platform opportunities for content and application developers, helping avoid fragmentation in development.”

             The open source and web-based environment “also lowers the barriers to entry for smaller, local content developers, businesses, educators, government and community organisations, and even individuals. “Consumers who use devices based on the open web platform will be able to easily access their own content, apps and data, regardless of which OS they use and to become creators of content as well.”

A sense of adventure

 Unlike Windows Phone or other contenders that have since fallen by the wayside, Firefox OS is  not trying to compete directly in the market for  smartphone devices with Apple or Google, but as an affordable OS for mid-range and low-end feature phones with web capabilities. As such, Firefox OS has the potential to be a classic disruptive technology, a cheap alternative to the dominant technology that upsets and ultimately replaces the current way of doing things – but a lot depends on the drive and energy of its partners and their ability to take the OS into these markets. 

                          From Gal’s perspective, “some of the  dominance of key players is actually hampering  innovation and growth in the mobile web. We believe that in the near term the web is the right platform, and that it needs to be open – not a dominant player’s version of the web.”  “With the Firefox Marketplace,” Gal asserts,  “Mozilla is bringing its core values – openness, freedom, user choice – to the world of apps. 

                          We are creating an open environment that benefits developers, content owners and consumers. And with apps based on open web technologies like HTML5, JavaScript and CSS, developers can build rich and immersive experiences, allowing them to build apps once and deploy everywhere.” Just as importantly, “Open web apps will free users from the native store monopoly” because  “they can take their apps across devices and  platforms, truly owning them.” 

                                                 An open market for web apps can present security issues, but Gal maintains that “Mozilla’s open web application security and privacy model spans a wide variety of use cases, from typical web content to system-critical applications. We will distinguish between privileged and certifi ed apps which users can download from the Firefox Marketplace.

                              “A certified app, for example, is an app that is intended for a critical system function like the default dialler or the system settings app on a smartphone. A certifi ed app must be approved for a device by the OEM or carrier in order to have this implicit approval to use critical APIs. Firefox OS will also support Do Not Track (DNT),  and Firefox for Android is still the only mobile  browser to support it.”

Patent free

 Firefox OS is not setting out to compete with iOS and Android, but is aimed at the market for those who do not have access to current smartphone technologies. “Our work developing Firefox OS, along with Telefonica Digital and numerous other partners, will begin to show what is possible and further spur innovation,” says Gal. “Firefox OS is not designed to create a third platform. Instead, Mozilla wants the web to be the third alternative to the closed walls of the Apple and Google stacks.

                            “As a non-profit organisation, our prime objective with Firefox OS is not to make money but to gain freedom from proprietary mobile platforms.” Mozilla’s partners are said to include Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Telecom Italia, Telenor, Smart, Sprint, TCL, ZTE and Qualcomm, and the first phones running Firefox OS are set to appear in Eastern Europe and Latin America early in 2013. Mozilla is not driven by the financial imperatives of Apple or Google and its “primary considerations are user interests and the strategic objectives of our partners.” The benefits for distributors are that “Firefox OS is completely open and based on web standards. 

                         Just like all other Mozilla products, Firefox OS is open source so everyone can take, reuse and remix the actual code”, so “OEMs and operators will be able to provide content and services across their entire device portfolio, regardless of OS. “Due to the optimisation of the platform for entry-level smartphones and the removal of unnecessary middleware layers, mobile operators will have the ability to offer richer experiences at a range of price points.” Gal also points out that as “Firefox OS targets the low end of the smartphone price range, this will help to drive adoption across developing markets.”

                                Firefox OS distributors “will be able to customise user experiences, manage app distribution and retain customer attention, loyalty and billing relationships. There are no patent fees attached to Firefox OS and OEMs  get a price advantage that could be passed along to users.” Success for Firefox OS depends upon the ability of its partners to reach users with its phones, and the enthusiasm and adventure of developer communities in transforming the market for web-based apps. It is a big ask, but Mozilla isn’t alone in this enterprise.

                            The Tizen OS is also web-based and is expected to come to market in early 2013 on devices manufactured by HTC, Acer and Asus. By definition, apps written for Tizen and Firefox OS will be interchangeable and, as with Tizen, apps will run without the browser and can be saved to a cache when the device is offline. In the end, the success of Firefox OS, and of Tizen, will be measured not by the absolute uptake of the operating systems, although the opportunity is there, but by the extent to which they can unlock a proprietary landscape and transform the market for web-based apps.

 “We believe that in the near term the web is the right platform, and that it needs to be open – not a dominant  player’s version of the web”