A decade ago, the Internet browser market was dominated by Microsoft and IE and there was real danger of the industry closing up and fitting into one business model; discouraging development and innovation. Today much has changed and consumers have the option of choosing between various Internet browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari amongst others; IE no longer monopolises the market.
However, we are at risk of seeing a closed business model repeated in the current mobile landscape due to proprietary systems that have a built in preference for native apps over the Web. These systems discourage innovation and collaboration by wrapping development in a layer of complexity; making developers learn a different language, use a certain toolkit or pay to join exclusive developer groups. This makes development for these environments costly, and time consuming.
While developing for closed systems can be popular and in the short term help developers to monetise their apps, ultimately they will not be able to extend their app reach as it will not be accessible with other platforms. This means that developers either need to become specialists in one of the environments or repeat the same work for each and every one they want to support. Building a product is one thing, maintaining it is where most of the time is spent and this is where having to support multiple platforms with code catered only to these becomes a massive time sink.
The case for the open Web
Developers should be able to develop applications for the device and platform of their choice without the innovation-restricting complexity of closed systems that require them to ask “may I develop this?” The open Web is the key to enabling them to do this and to foster innovation. Web languages such as HTML5 and JavaScript uphold the Web’s principles of openness and competition at every layer of the stack. These languages make it more affordable for hobbyists, professionals and developers to get into the application development game; developers don’t need a specialised toolkit or to join a development programme – they can start developing with Web technologies and a simple text editor straight away.
By using open Web technologies developers are also encouraged to distribute apps however they want, and even to build new app stores. The benefits of this are passed onto the user, helping to drive the popularity and uptake of the apps. Content purchased for use on an open platform is owned by the user and not tied to a particular device. This gives people control over their experience – “user sovereignty.”
However, developers need an ecosystem of OEMs, partners and Web technology providers to support applications built with Web languages and to encourage wide distribution. The mobile industry as a whole isn’t quite there yet, but it’s making steps towards supporting this ecosystem to benefit the developer. That is why the launch of the first Firefox OS device last year marked a significant milestone for the mobile industry, enabling devices to be manufactured to totally open Web standards. Last year, global mobile leaders including Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Telecom Italia and Telenor embraced the benefits of the operating system and launched their first Firefox OS powered smartphone handsets (ALCATEL ONE TOUCH and ZTE Open) in Europe and Latin America respectively. More devices, markets and partners will follow soon.
Breaking the API mould: Open APIs
The adoption of mobile Web standards and APIs across the industry, including other operating systems will enable developers to access more device capabilities such as cameras, SMS, Near Field Communications (NFC), Location and Bluetooth. This access, coupled with ease of developer participation will help spur innovation, helping to break the traditional and rigid API mould that has constricted the development of app features.
The future of the open Web
With expanded choices in devices and form factors to create applications for, we will see millions more developers coding in HTML5 this this year. The number of mobile app developers building for Firefox OS is set to triple in 2014 alone. In turn, this will inspire even more global leaders in the mobile industry to support open Web technologies and adapt their offerings at the pace of the Web. For the first time, the mobile ecosystem will realise the full power and flexibility of the Web. The Web really is the Platform for mobile in 2014.
