Apple’s first pair of applications for Android, Apple Music and Move to iOS, may be the start of Apple opening up even further to Google’s mobile platform. According to a new job listing on Apple’s website, the Cupertino-based company is “looking for engineers to help [Apple] bring exciting new mobile products to the Android platform.” The presence of the word “new” seems to indicate that Apple’s plans go beyond the already announced Apple Music and Move to iOS apps…
The Apple Music application for Android is already well into development and is scheduled for release this fall. We’re told that Apple is already preparing to seed a private beta of the application to a “very small subset” of the existing Beats Music Android user base. Additionally, Apple’s earlier Android job listings specifically mentioned work on the Beats/Apple Music apps. Apple’s Move to iOS application is on target for the fall launch of iOS 9, and it allows Android users to more easily switch to the iPhone.
Besides the Music and Move apps, Apple has a few existing applications and services that could make sense on Android. With the growth of messaging applications over the past several years, perhaps Apple is considering bringing over its popular iMessage platform over to Android. Apple could also be planning an iTunes Store app for Android to accompany Apple Music. Lastly, with Safari as one of the first Windows apps by Apple, perhaps the iPhone maker is eyeing opening up its web browser to other mobile devices.
In 2013, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple has “no religious issue porting” iOS apps to Android “if it made sense.”
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It’s not going to Safari, Safari hasn’t been updated for over two years on Windows and is probably the insecure browser there is on Windows. It’s not likely to be iTunes either because they can’t even do it right on Macs nor Windows, iTunes is unbelievably horrible on Windows.
Message is not likely because Apple is infringing on patents and would be exposed to additional lawsuits if they bring it to Android and would have to pay 10x more due to the immerse market that Android has. The patents will expire by 2020 IIRC.
iWork, iCloud Drive, and so on are more likely for the first wave and Message in 2020.
What do you mean when you say Apple would be infringing on copyrights by bring iMessage to Android?
Copyright is not the same thing as patents.
The backend for both Messages and FaceTime includes a few networking technologies that Apple do not own a license for and would have to pay royalties for.
Since Apple still do not have the license and lost some cases, attempting to expand the backend will cost them far more money.
Do web search for Apple lawsuits on FaceTime and iMessage to find out more.
I mostly agree with you @mikhailt, except about iMessages, I don’t think these patent wars will affect us as end-users, Apple will settle at the end. Even though I don’t think Apple will port iMessages to any other platform, as you said its just Apple Music, iWork apps and iCloud Drive.
Apple Music – this is a music subscription service, and the logical choice.
That’s already been confirmed when Apple Music came out, and is in the title of the article.
I would say iTunes and FaceTime should be next. Wasn’t FaceTime supposed to be an open standard. I think I’m remembering that keynote correctly.
Facetime ran into patent lawsuits that prevented them from opening it up.
Still could be for Apple Music and that’s just something generic in the job req. Sometimes I think we speculate way too much on wording in job listings.
now that Office is on every platform, it’s clear to me it will be iWork and iCloud storage
It can only be apps that will somehow push Android users to the iOS and MacOS X eco-systems eventually. The kind of apps that says “Look how great I am on Android, now imagine how amazing I’d be if you’d be running me on iOS!” Purposedly feature limited apps that would “invite” users to switch.
Also, wondering why nobody here mentioned Maps or Siri. Both are incredibly important for Apple eco-system. Apple wont use user’s data for commercial reasons, like Google would, but they’ll use them for making these apps much better, much more compelling, and they need massive user’s input to do so.
Also, Apple can live without selling (expensive) iphones to the middle and low-end of the market but Apple would surely welcome whatever money spent on the iTunes stores/Music from those who would never buy an iPhone. Apple will never reach that hardware market segment and why would they if it brings near zero margins? Now, the services, that’s something else: low investments, high margins.