Deutsche Telekom and Sprint will support a new Firefox smart phone platform to turn up the heat on Google and Apple in the mobile software market, starting in 2013. Smart, Telecom Italia, Telenor and Etisalat also are backing the Firefox platform.
Mozilla Foundation, creator of Firefox Internet browser, said phone makers ZTE and TCL Communication Technology will roll out the first Firefox phones using Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors in early 2013.
Whether the support will manage to create a serious alternative remains a question. You might argue that telcos generally have had little to no success creating viable alternatives to either Apple's iOS or Android, so far.
A combination of forces are at work, including consumer preferences, not just operator support, and so far, customers simply have preferred both Apple and Android devices. You might also argue that consumers do not actually buy "operating systems," but rather the full bundle of values any device represents.
Still, some might argue the Firefox devices will be less costly for consumers, so some demand could exist in the "lower cost device" end of the market.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Deutsche Telekom, Sprint to Back Firefox Phones
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
We have all repeatedly seen comparisons of equity value of hyperscale app providers compared to the value of connectivity providers, which s...
-
It really is surprising how often a Pareto distribution--the “80/20 rule--appears in business life, or in life, generally. Basically, the...
-
One recurring issue with forecasts of multi-access edge computing is that it is easier to make predictions about cost than revenue and infra...
No comments:
Post a Comment