Mozilla, most commonly known as the developer of the Firefox browser, has recently acquired Pocket, a bookmarking mobile app. Pocket initially started as Firefox extension called Read It Later, which was used to allow users to save online articles so that they can be read offline later.
This is an interesting turn of events for both companies considering their previous history and the fact that this is Mozilla’s first ever acquisition, as it seeks to expand its services to mobile users. A few years ago, the team behind Pocket was gradually expanded in order to develop a suite of new apps for all major mobile platforms. The two services joined forces once more in 2015 when Pocket became the browser’s main bookmarking tool.
After the acquisition deal is finalized, Pocket will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Mozilla as it attempts to establish a foothold on mobile devices, an area with which the company has previously struggled. Mozilla had lost much of its steam in the smartphone era as it was focused on developing its own Firefox OS, which the company recently abandoned and finally decided to release an iOS version of their once-popular browser.
However, the company seems ready and willing to establish a foothold in that market with a different approach. The recent acquisition of the bookmarking tools also comes with the 10 million pre-existing Pocket users, alongside new ad revenue opportunities, a premium service with a subscription model as well as analytic tools for publishers.
Denelle Dixon, Mozilla’s chief business and legal officer stated that the two companies share a user-first mentality, which is the main driving force behind their products. More than six years ago, when Pocket was still known as Read It Later, Evernote volunteered to purchase it. However, the deal was rejected as the soon to be Pocket app would become a feature of Evernote and not separate product.
According to Nate Weiner, the CEO of Pocket, the recent acquisition by Mozilla won’t involve an immediate change into their business model or their products. He revealed that Pocket will help Mozilla with the development of its “context graph” project. It consists in a recommendation online engine which can be integrated into a browser.
What do you think about Mozilla’s acquisition of Pocket, the mobile bookmarking tool?
Image source: Mozilla
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