Strategy Analytics: Firefox OS to Capture 1 Percent Share of Global Smartphone Market in 2013

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Firefox OS will capture 1 percent share of global smartphone shipments in 2013. Firefox OS will target entry-level smartphone users, a segment currently dominated by Android.

Scott Bicheno, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, says: “Firefox OS is an emerging operating system for smartphones being developed by Mozilla. The platform is designed to be open-source, licensable, and relatively low-cost. Firefox OS supports HTML5 apps and it is gaining interest from several hardware vendors and operators, such as ZTE and Telefonica. We expect the first Firefox smartphones to launch commercially in Latin America or Western Europe in the first half of next year. We forecast Firefox OS to capture a niche one percent share of global smartphone shipments in 2013.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, adds, “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.”

The full report, Global Smartphone Sales Forecast by OS for 88 Countries: 2007 to 2017, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/d9okv5r