Mozilla first started Firefox OS in 2013 as "Boot to Gecko," and it was an interesting concept.
As an operating system based on Android, it was powered by open-source system that were essentially web technologies. From its apps to home screen and many more, they were written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. But the OS never saw the future Mozilla was expecting.
For that reason, Mozilla is shutting down its "connected devices" group which was responsible for its failure, marking the end of Firefox OS and all its related devices.
Firefox OS was targeting emerging markets with low-end powered devices. One of Firefox OS advantage was its ability to run on small amount of memory. Unfortunately for the OS, the smartphone industry is unforgiving. The price of hardware has varied, and with Android's continued success, the public never really put interest on the platform.
Firefox OS never really took off.
In December 2015, Mozilla ceased the development of Firefox OS phones. Mozilla then refocused Firefox OS as the "connected devices team" and started looking for new ways to utilize the potential of the OS. As a result, it did made a debut which was shipping the OS with Panasonic 4K TV.
But again, things went not as Mozilla has expected. After partnering with Panasonic, Mozilla didn't get much afterwards. In September 2016, Mozilla announced the end of development, and in February 2017, Mozilla is laying off the entire connected devices team, composed of about 50 people.
Mozilla is behind the popular Firefox web browser. While it has gained huge success with the product, Mozilla couldn't compete in the mobile industry.
But giving up on mobile market doesn't mean that Mozilla would stop the project entirely. The company said that it would shift its focus to research new technologies for connected devices.
By shifting its focus on IoT, Mozilla as a non-profit, sees itself as having the advantage to offer strong alternative platform to deal with privacy. However, Mozilla is again entering a market that many for-profit tech companies from large to small are already in the game.
Mozilla is still having the confidence it needs to enter the competition, and it still believes that it could somehow find a role in the growing ecosystem of connected devices.
"IoT is clearly an emerging technology space," said the company, "but it's still early."