14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla launched Firefox OS as a very cheap alternative to Android devices, but it looks like the company wasn't able to offer the best user experience possible.
That might be one of the reasons Firefox OS didn't gain much traction in emerging markets where many smartphones powered by Mozilla's mobile platform were launched.
Firefox smartphones were pretty cheap, which is why some customers were inclined to buy them, but Android devices caught up with these phones and that advantage slowly faded away.
It took Mozilla two years to realize that its Firefox OS isn't quite what customers need, which is why the company announced its exit from the smartphone business.
While Mozilla will continue to experiment with Firefox OS on other connected devices and Internet of Things networks, there will be no new Firefox-powered smartphones launched in the future.
No more Firefox OS smartphones sold through carriers
Mozilla's SVP of Connected Devices, Ari Jaaksi offered the following statement to TechCrunch:
“We are proud of the benefits Firefox OS added to the Web platform and will continue to experiment with the user experience across connected devices. We will build everything we do as a genuine open source project, focused on user experience first and build tools to enable the ecosystem to grow.
“Firefox OS proved the flexibility of the Web, scaling from low-end smartphones all the way up to HD TVs. However, we weren’t able to offer the best user experience possible and so we will stop offering Firefox OS smartphones through carrier channels.
“We’ll share more on our work and new experiments across connected devices soon.”
If you were hoping to score a good deal on a Firefox-powered smartphone for Christmas, you will have to look for an Android device if you don't want to spend too much. Farewell Firefox smartphone, it was an interesting ride while it lasted.