The reviews I've read about the existing Firefox OS phones, which have reportedly cost well over $25, have not been very encouraging. Pretty much all of them have pointed out that the hardware is quite poor, and this results in a rather bad user experience. Even considering how rapidly the cost of mobile hardware has been decreasing, what will prevent a similarly negative user experience on these cheaper Firefox OS devices?
While the ideological benefits of HTML5/JavaScript/CSS "apps" are often touted, we've yet to see anything truly remarkable done using such technologies. At best, we've only really seen clones of existing Android and iOS apps, but these generally feel less responsive and less capable than their native counterparts. If Firefox OS only supports these kind of non-native apps, how is it supposed to truly compete with Android, iOS and the other mobile platforms that support these HTML5/JavaScript/CSS "apps" just fine, but also offer far more choice and capabilities to developers in the form of real native apps?
And one other thing that I rarely see considered by the advocates of Firefox OS is how we're seeing more and more used iOS and Android mobile devices ending up in developing nations. They tend to be quite affordable and usable, even if they are somewhat outdated. Why would people in developing nations pay for a new Firefox OS phone, when they can get a used Android or iOS phone that may very well perform better than the Firefox OS phone, while offering a wider selection of apps, while also costing roughly the same?
Can you address these concerns?
While the ideological benefits of HTML5/JavaScript/CSS "apps" are often touted, we've yet to see anything truly remarkable done using such technologies. At best, we've only really seen clones of existing Android and iOS apps, but these generally feel less responsive and less capable than their native counterparts. If Firefox OS only supports these kind of non-native apps, how is it supposed to truly compete with Android, iOS and the other mobile platforms that support these HTML5/JavaScript/CSS "apps" just fine, but also offer far more choice and capabilities to developers in the form of real native apps?
And one other thing that I rarely see considered by the advocates of Firefox OS is how we're seeing more and more used iOS and Android mobile devices ending up in developing nations. They tend to be quite affordable and usable, even if they are somewhat outdated. Why would people in developing nations pay for a new Firefox OS phone, when they can get a used Android or iOS phone that may very well perform better than the Firefox OS phone, while offering a wider selection of apps, while also costing roughly the same?
Can you address these concerns?