The logical thing to do after launching a mobile OS is to get it to as many platforms as possible. Firefox OS smartphones are already available, so it was rather obvious that tablets would be next.
Computex is in general a great occasion for launching new products or for announcing new technologies. The companies attending the event are aware of the great number of journalists and try to use this in their advantage. Press conferences held here are ensured to get a lot of coverage world wide, so it should not surprise anyone that Mozilla has decided to launch its first Firefox OS tablet here.
On Monday, Mozilla announced that its partnership with Foxconn will result not only in smartphones, but also in tablets, and the proof wasn’t delayed at all. The two companies mentioned that they will develop five devices together, but declined to provide more details. The Firefox OS tablet whose name is currently unknown, supposedly features a 10.1″ display, on pair with the one that Google Nexus 10 has. Hopefully, the tablet will also include some attractive features, such as a newly launched chip or a decent resolution. I must admit, I was anything but impressed with the Firefox OS smartphones that Mozilla announced at the end of April, and I really hope that the company won’t follow that trend.
Young Liu, the general manager of Foxconn’s Innovation Digital System Business Group, declared: “We believe that the integration of software and hardware development will offer greater benefits to our customers and consumers. Firefox OS from Mozilla is based on HTML5 and open web technologies. The whole idea perfectly matches to the strategies promoted by Foxconn.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqf6vsmqYU8&w=600&h=338]
The funniest thing is that the reporters were not allowed to touch the Firefox OS tablet at all, as seen in the above video, so all they could do was to take pictures. Foxconn, Mozilla, there’s a big difference between teasing people and not knowing how to launch a product properly! I think such an approach made the journalists frustrated and annoyed, despite the great number of pictures that they took from all the possible angles.
So why would Firefox OS stand a chance against Android and iOS, anyway? Its main competitor should be Android, as iOS is not that open, and while people love Google’s OS, the carriers are not that fond of it. I really hope that Mozilla will reconsider the way it launches its products in the future, and maybe we’ll get to see (and why not, use) some Firefox OS devices soon.
If you liked this post, please check the Firefox OS developer preview Geeksphone devices and the announcement of Firefox OS’ global launch.
