Firefox OS for smartphones is officially dead, focus shifted on IoT
The Mozilla team confirmed the interruption of the project Firefox OS smartphone with an email sent to developers. Mozilla will concentrate its efforts on a new process of development of products intended for IoT sector.
Mozilla has officially announced the discontinuation of the project Firefox OS smartphone with an email sent to developers. Specifically, the development of Firefox OS for smartphones will end after the release of version 2.6. In practical terms, after the month of May, Mozilla will divert the resources allocated to the development of Firefox OS for smartphones on other projects. Simultaneously announced some measures that will affect Markteplace: March 29, 2016, will no longer be sent app for Android, Desktop and Tablet, and all apps that do not support Firefox OS will be removed. New apps for Firefox OS and updates of existing apps continue to be accepted until 2017.
The reasons that led to the adoption of a substantial change in the Firefox OS project were clearly illustrated by the team:
Obviously, these decisions are substantial. The main reason for which they were adopted is to ensure that we are focusing our energies and resources to bring the power of the web in the IoT.
The Connected Devices of Mozilla team says, in fact, to be working on developing new products, three of which have already passed the preliminary stages of national testing, while several others are in development. One of the three projects specifically concerns the sector of SmartTV. Others are placed within the broader category IoT. A process of development of new products for which they could take part, within the first half of the year, also the stakeholders, not part of the Mozilla staff.
Mozilla adds a further note on ” foxfooding ” program, which allows the community to contribute to the development of Firefox OS through the new ROM testing activities. The program will continue the focus, however, it will shift from the objective of improving the smartphone experience, the work of the Firefox OS adaptation to connected devices of different nature. The Sony Xperia Z3C smartphone, used in foxfooding program, will continue to be useful for achieving the new targets in the light of the large number of sensors that can be used in the IoT sector. At the end of March, further program changes will be communicated to interested users.
Although the reasons are undoubtedly clear and understandable – to carve out a space in the crowded smartphone market by offering an alternative to the major mobile platforms is certainly not simple – developers and community members who supported the project, equally understandably, did not accept him in a positive news, because, of new products and the development of Firefox OS is visible at the time, a rather indistinct outline.
