The forthcoming Firefox mobile operating system from Mozilla is expected to be used on 1% of global smartphone shipments in 2013. That’s according to a new report from Strategy Analytics, which says the Firefox OS will be battling Android for entry-level smartphone users.
This year, Android and Apple iOS will account for the majority of all global smartphone sales. In five years’ time, Android and iOS are expected to remain the dominant smartphone platforms but will have lost market share to Microsoft. In addition, the report says combined platforms such as Tizen and Firefox are expected to have grown in popularity by 2017 as the benefits of HTML5-based ‘cloud phones’ become clearer.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said “Firefox OS will initially target entry-level smartphone users, which is a segment currently dominated by the Android platform in almost all regions worldwide. Overcoming Android will not be an easy task. To succeed, Firefox OS will need to address at least three main challenges; they are low brand awareness among smartphone consumers worldwide, a limited retail presence in the influential United States market, and a relatively modest ecosystem of supporting apps and services.”
[Report]