Firefox OS is dead.
The recent news that the OS developer was pulling the plug on their “better late than never” mobile strategy came as no real surprise.
“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,” wrote their chief legal and business officer.
A too little too late strategy is destined for failure. For example, far too many websites defaulted to an “m.dot” strategy to just get by when Google rolled out its new algorithm for mobility.
If your mobility site alternative in your menu button is to drive your audience back to a non-mobile optimized desktop site then your audience will look elsewhere for the products and or services you provide.
The rapid increase of smartphone sales has quickly revealed which online strategies have been too slow to move, and which have kept up with the pace set by smart devices and Google.
If you live in a desktop URL based world then you’re going to become an online antique. Over a billion android devices are in circulation and add to that nearly 800 million iPhones. Apple has set a rapid pace by selling over 500 million iPhones in under 7 years! Samsung Galaxy phones have risen in a similar fashion.
In the kingdom of Google, they simply drove online citizens into mobile. The rapid growth of apps and their ability to remove the need to rely upon web browsers is also driving more traffic.
Here is a shortlist of items to keep in mind and be addressed immediately.
– increase page speed
– design a quality mobile-optimized site (Google recommendations)
– do not block CSS, JavaScript, or images
– stop using Flash (Adobe are focussing on HTML5)
– stop using pop-ups
– optimize for local search, title’s, and metadata
Priority one for smart devices use is not a web browser like Safari, Chrome, or the defunct Mozilla. Obviously, for now, the web browser is accessible, but the ongoing rise of an array of smart apps is driving traffic to those apps to access data from URLs.
Despite designing your content on a sleek desktop machine, remember your end users are on the go with a smartphone or device in their hands. PC sales fell almost 10% this year in an ongoing free-fall as customers switch to mobile devices.
Learn the Lesson from Firefox Mobile Failure. Be sure to have a fluid strategy of ongoing innovation. This is key to your mobile success.
Stay up to date with online news and trends by subscribing to the Hawp Media blog. Add us to your RSS feed or simply sign up with your email to receive news and updates.