Mozilla recently pulled the curtains back on the ZTE Open, a $90 phone that runs on FireFox OS. SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto shared his take on the browser maker’s push into the mobile market in a Q&A with NewsDesk host Kristin Feledy.

John tells Kristin that Mozilla is eyeing a stake in the low-end smartphone space and emerging markets such as China, where demand for connected devices has skyrocketed in recent years. He adds that the ZTE cannot compete on a level playing field with Apple because affordability is not a top selling point in the eyes of consumers who are willing to invest in the latest iDevice.

Mozilla is looking to pounce on the opportunity created by the one size fits all approach Google has taken with Android. John explains that new versions of the operating system tend to run poorly on cheap hardware, a shortcoming that forces vendors to ship their low-end devices with older versions or compromise on usability. FireFox OS offers a superior alternative in the form of an open source platform that is purpose built for sub-$100 devices.

The accessibility of FireFox OS has earned it the blessings of the open source community, but it remains to be seen if Mozilla can establish a foothold in the mobile space. John believes that since so-called ‘dumb’ phones serve as a stepping stone for a sizable portion of users, the project will struggle to gain the brand loyalty it needs to succeed.

See the video below for the full interview, including John’s perspective on the steps Google must take to maintain its share of the market.