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  • Mozilla Heats Up The Mobile App Market And Claims It Will Put An End To App Stores
    by
    Nick Hesson
    Published on 12-19-2009 11:40 PM
    53 Comments Comments


    It comes to no surprise when we hear about a Firefox Mobile app in development for various smartphones. Mozilla managed to convert an outstanding number of IE users over to their platform and get close to an average increase of 10 million users a day lately.

    Firefox Mobile (currently codenamed Fennec) will share much of the desktop's engine and render both complex HTML and JavaScript. Mozilla VP Jay Sullivan made the bold claim that Firefox Mobile will "put an end to app stores like the iPhone's App Store or BlackBerry App World." These guys are either extremely over confident, or have no idea how well the App Store is doing right now. But nonetheless, as we learn the logic of web apps, it would make more sense for companies to create a singe web app that works just as well for Firefox Mobile, so it works across various phone platforms guaranteed.

    Many of the existing stores have draconian or inconsistent guidelines, or aren't worth the cost of producing a separate version to reach a smaller user base, Sullivan argues...

    "We look at the problems it creates for small innovators," he said. "You have to create an iPhone app, an Android app, a Windows Mobile app..."

    "As developers get more frustrated with quality assurance, the amount of handsets they have to buy, whether their security updates will get past the iPhone approval process... I think they'll move to the web," he explains.
    Mozilla will be releasing the first version of Firefox Mobile on the Nokia's N900 handset, and is being developed for virtually every smartphone platform that encourages a more unrestricted app environment, including Android, Nokia's Maemo, Symbian and Windows Mobile but will of course be entirely unavailable on the iPhone, as we are all well aware of Apple's submission rules that refuse to accept most code interpreters and 3rd web browsers.

    In the interim period, apps will be very successful. Over time, the web will win because it always does
    All of this being said, I don't see how it would have any immediate affect on the AppStore market, as these platforms don't just grow overnight. And they've got a lot to compete with for apple. However this does extend a new market to platforms that are more universal. Hopefully Apple get's with it and starts to allow a more open platform like we've slowly seen lately.

    However such features as syncing browsers with your phone and PC is genius, and starts to take us down a road that just might overpower such markets as the Apple AppStore.

    "We will sync browser tabs in real time," Sullivan adds. "If you have five, 10, 20 tabs open on your PC and something happens and you have to leave, you can pick up where you left off on your phone."

    Firefox Mobile will also support browser add-ons. "Some are existing add-ons for the PC, some are brand new," Sullivan claims.
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Mozilla Heats Up The Mobile App Market And Claims It Will Put An End To App Stores started by nickhesson View original post
    Comments 53 Comments
    1. tudtran's Avatar
      tudtran - 12-19-2009, 11:42 PM
      yeah
    1. DirtyDan's Avatar
      DirtyDan - 12-20-2009, 12:06 AM
      But the real question is... will it run Flash?

      That's about the only thing I feel the iPhone is really missing these days.
    1. jwalkd9's Avatar
      jwalkd9 - 12-20-2009, 12:07 AM
      i wish i could get firefox on my iphone. time for mozilla to hop on the jailbreak wagon.
    1. treble26's Avatar
      treble26 - 12-20-2009, 12:18 AM
      i really hope that firefox dominates the app store and makes it admit defeat. i hope flash will be supported on firefox mobile. im on mozillas side on this!
    1. xxfr0stbytexx's Avatar
      xxfr0stbytexx - 12-20-2009, 12:44 AM
      if this would somehow get to the iphone it'd be amazing! i highly doubt it will be greater than the app store tho...
    1. juggz143's Avatar
      juggz143 - 12-20-2009, 12:47 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by jwalkd9 View Post
      i wish i could get firefox on my iphone. time for mozilla to hop on the jailbreak wagon.
      +1 I'm all about jailbroken firefox....
    1. Teoyaomqui's Avatar
      Teoyaomqui - 12-20-2009, 12:50 AM
      Cool if this happens, Bye bye iPhone for me.

      I only like it because you can have an actual browser and not some cheap #$% "web browser"
    1. gotjpeg's Avatar
      gotjpeg - 12-20-2009, 01:18 AM
      do it mozilla we believe in you!
    1. dale1v's Avatar
      dale1v - 12-20-2009, 01:26 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by gotjpeg View Post
      do it mozilla we believe in you!
      Who is "we"? Mozilla need to sort out their browser on Windows, OS X and Linux first...
    1. thevmax's Avatar
      thevmax - 12-20-2009, 02:02 AM
      YES...jailbroken Firefox !!!
    1. Fallguy's Avatar
      Fallguy - 12-20-2009, 02:06 AM
      Bring it on Baby.
    1. brianlg's Avatar
      brianlg - 12-20-2009, 04:28 AM
      Firefox is completely overrated. Safari is my favorite browser there is. I'd even take Opera over firefox. That said, I wouldn't mind trying the iPhone version just to see the difference as mobile Safari hasn't really been updated.
    1. confucious's Avatar
      confucious - 12-20-2009, 04:44 AM
      Maybe on the Mac FF is overrated but on PCs it is the browser of choice. Safari really doesn't cut it on PCs.
      it will be interesting to see how FF compares on the iPhone but I really don't see it having much effect on the App store,
    1. sziklassy's Avatar
      sziklassy - 12-20-2009, 07:07 AM
      I don't understand how this will put an end to the app store. Am I missing something?

      Quote Originally Posted by confucious View Post
      Maybe on the Mac FF is overrated but on PCs it is the browser of choice. Safari really doesn't cut it on PCs.
      it will be interesting to see how FF compares on the iPhone but I really don't see it having much effect on the App store,
      I use firefox on the Mac too. Safari is overrated by Mac users IMO...
    1. L00i3's Avatar
      L00i3 - 12-20-2009, 07:52 AM
      I really hate apple. Anti-competitive a-holes. it might not be so bad if their browser didn't suck fat balls. mobile safari (all versions of safari actually) is horrible.
    1. politicalslug's Avatar
      politicalslug - 12-20-2009, 07:58 AM
      Wow. Either the article is missing a good deal of text or this makes no sense? Webapps on mobile phones suck. That's clear as night and day. Same on all platforms (iPhone, android, winmo, symbian, you name - it sucks). Even on state of the art desktops there is much you can't do through a browser. How on Earth will this change anything? Not to mention the fact that it'll never get approved for the appstore since it'll have to use private APIs handed to Mozilla by GOD himself for this come anywhere near overtaking the appstore... with webapps... on a mobile browser.
    1. klouud's Avatar
      klouud - 12-20-2009, 08:09 AM
      The app would do well on Cydia. And yes, Flash is the only thing the iPhone is missing now. A native Hulu app would make me cream my pants!

      So, is this thing gonna work like the google web app we already have? Or will it be an app store?

      I seriously doubt that it will amount to anything if you can't actually download stuff. Its all kinda hazy as far as details.

      tim
    1. ZipZapp's Avatar
      ZipZapp - 12-20-2009, 08:21 AM
      Still need to be jailbroken therefore the app store will remain.
    1. matthew1111's Avatar
      matthew1111 - 12-20-2009, 08:43 AM
      Im on firefox right now! I wish it was on iPhone too!
    1. CZroe's Avatar
      CZroe - 12-20-2009, 08:47 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by jwalkd9 View Post
      i wish i could get firefox on my iphone. time for mozilla to hop on the jailbreak wagon.
      I think that's precisely what they meant about the app store. Either that or a new kind of API/library/interpreter for interactivity and access to smartphone functions (GPS, microphone, camera, etc). Basically, write your app once and have it run on ALL smartphones, and more.
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