Firefox 1.5 is out and I can say, it is a great improvement. It’s faster, the friendlier error messages are real nice, and all the extras make it a great reason to upgrade from Version 1.06.
Firefox is also having an “open source” ad campaign, sort of like the Apple “Switch” campaign. They are allowing Firefox users to submit a 30 second advertising clip praising the wondrous Firefox browser. I personally think that this is not worth Firefox’s time and will actually help in the downfall of the product. How, you ask? Let me explain.
The Apple “Switch” Campaign worked to revive the image of the Macintosh. It drug Apple out from the edge of bankruptcy and took it to an estimated 5-10% of the market share. Of course no one really recognizes that this was done mostly on Microsoft’s dime. Bill Gates helped fund Apple to get it out of its hole. If Apple would have gone bankrupt, the FTC would have definitely broken Microsoft up for good. Knowing this, Bill Gates helped get Apple on its feet and saved both Microsoft and Apple.
Firefox is trying the same type of campaign strategy. Go for the home user base. Show home users that people just like them are using Firefox and they will jump on the Mozilla bandwagon. I find this a flawed campaign plan.
The “Switch” campaign worked wonderfully for home users with Apple, but that’s because the Apple hardware became a piece of the décor in your house. It looked nice on that Ikea desk next to that Herman Miller chair. While most Windows machines were old white boxes that looked the same no matter which brand you bought, Apple offered a beautiful and well designed alternative. Firefox is not beautiful hardware and the average home user keeps their default setting intact. That is why IE is still the #1 browser used, even though it is far inferior.
Where Firefox is going wrong is that they are targeting the home user. Why not target the larger corporation while you have a competitive advantage? Firefox is more secure than IE. Since I made the switch, I haven’t had one piece of Spy-ware installed on my machine through the browser. With my array of extensions that I have installed into Firefox, I find my browsing more precise and I find information quicker and easier. I personally think Firefox should go after the IT Professionals that actually make the decisions for their companies.
If the Firefox organization can manage to get a large corporations IT department to convert 100% to Firefox, that would tip the first domino in a chain reaction. Sell IT Departments on the fact that Firefox is more secure. Sell them on the fact that it’s simpler to use. This would mean less IT time fixing peoples issue and more time doing real IT work. Consumers tend to use the software at home that they use at work. If a large corporation of 100,000 people switch to Firefox, then that could possibly mean 200,000 new users. One install on the desktop of work and one on the desktop at home. With Firefox’s current campaign, they are switching 1 user at a time. At that rate, they are headed for certain doom. Firefox has one major obstacle that will destroy it permanently and that is Google buying Opera.
This rumor has been spreading like a wild fire in an old forest. Google plans on buying the Opera Browser. If this happens, Firefox can kiss their browser good bye. Both Firefox and Microsoft must fear this immensely. Opera is usually rated the #1 in browser quality year after year. It works on Macintosh, Windows, Linux, PDA’s and Cell phones. Its market infiltration will take the web by storm. It handles Web, Email, and RSS aggregation. Opera combined with Google Talk, Gmail, and Google Desktop capabilities could create an all in one product that would dominate the market place.
I predict within the first 6 months of Google releasing the Google Opera browser, Google will own 25% of the browser market share. This will drop Firefox to about 5% and Microsoft to about 60%. With in 2 years of the release, Google Opera could possible become the majority browser.
So it’s undeniable that Firefox is doomed. I love the browser and will use it until the end, but that end might be sooner than later. Unless Yahoo! buys Firefox, then it’s a whole new ball game.
