So, mobile devices are an aspirational purchase in many of the developing nations Mozilla was reportedly targeting with these devices. People buy phones that lo

So, mobile devices are an aspirational purchase in many of the developing nations Mozilla was reportedly targeting with these devices. People buy phones that look like high end phones in the US, because that's part of what they want from a phone. I'm not saying low cost phones in developing nations aren't a good goal. That's a wonderful thing, and I think I can understand how the people at Mozilla, who almost always prioritize doing good over doing well, would make the mistake of thinking that building a phone that is good for people in the developing world would be a good way to start their mobile effort. But, and as much as I hate to say this because it reveals a crass consumerism that has infected the world and patient zero is the US, the reality is that modern phones are luxury items that need some of the trappings of luxury...even in developing nations, where they look to the west to define their fashion and trends. If Mozilla can't win a developed world market, they won't be able to convince people in developing nations that what they've built is worthwhile, especially when there are knockoff Android devices that only cost a few bucks more, which are much closer to what people in the developed world are using. I could see how it might even seem patronizing to the poorest folks. I don't know what Mozilla should do; I'm not a mobile mogul. But, I want a Firefox phone. I've wanted one since they announced they were making them. I want one a lot, actually. But, I don't want a shitty phone that's less powerful than my last three Android phones, no matter the price. It's also never been clear to me, as an American, where I can even buy a real FxOS phone. There are dev phones, but they seemed to always just be "sign up for our waiting list" or whatever, which is not something I really do.