Makers of the Firefox browser, Mozilla, have expressed interest in launching Firefox OS phones for the highly demanding budget segment. We’ve even seen a couple of handsets from Chinese manufacturers launching in select locations as well.

However, the company’s rise to fame was said to be the $25 (Rs 1600 approximately) Firefox OS phone. Well, the popular developer has now announced that it will stop development of this budget device.

In an email sent to the partners of the Mozilla project, the company’s CEO Chris Beard said – “We will build phones and connected devices that people want to buy because of the experience, not simply the price. We have not seen sufficient traction for a $25 phone, and we will not pursue all parts of the program.”

It is important to note however that the company will not stop development of Firefox OS phones altogether, but merely the budget handset that was discussed a year or so ago. Mozilla is still very willing to get budget handsets to the market in order to appeal to the wider audience.
The company’s new Ignite initiative is a step in the right direction as it plans to bring improved software support as well as Android app compatibility to Firefox OS. The company is also said to be interested in bringing support for flip phones, which have now become relatively extinct in the mobile industry.

Another goal with the new Firefox OS is to bring improved offline support, which is crucial for budget markets where internet connectivity is relatively scarce.

The company supposedly wants to focus on bringing top end hardware with a budget price tag rather than just plainly focusing on the cost, which is the right mindset for the budget segment.