Well, this could be interesting. It looks like Mozilla isn’t content with letting Verizon and Amazon open its own app stores, as the company will be building its own open app store but the main difference is that the Mozilla one aims to be device independent.
Mozilla said it has developed an “Open Web app ecosystem” and it wants to bring a new era of apps that aren’t tied to a single device or platform.
“The current app model also has traits that threaten some of the characteristics that have made the web so vibrant a platform, particularly in the mobile space,” the State of Mozilla report said.
Of course, one has to wonder what this will actually mean for the end user. Without being specific to a single device or platform, the apps may be tied to relatively simple services or web apps. Yes, 4G networks and HTML5 is getting better, but don’t expect something like Rage HD on this type of open, independent app store.
Mozilla never really seems to be in much of a rush to get these products out, as the Fennec browser just came to the Android platform and it’s still very early. I wouldn’t expect this Mozilla open device-agnostic app store to be on the horizon anytime soon.
That doesn’t mean the company can’t have an impact on the industry, as it can still move the needle with its ideas and concepts. For example, it recently released a video showing off a Seabird phone concept with multiple pico projectors, 3D mouse dongles and more. Perhaps we will see some of these integrated into future devices as well.
What do you think of the idea of a device-independent app store? It would be nice to not have to worry about what phone you’re using but what features/functionality would you sacrifice for that convenience?
[Via DigitizorMozilla, InformationWeek]