Bloomberg author Mark Gullman reportedly wrote in his Power On column that if Apple wants to make its hardware devices more accessible to larger consumers, it must open up some Internet services to the Android community, including Apple TV+.
Last year, Apple added a new page to its website dedicated to "Apple-only" Internet services that are only available to Apple devices, including Apple TV+, Gaming Content Membership, Apple Fitness, and iCloud.
This once again emphasizes that consumers must first purchase Apple hardware devices in order to be able to enjoy these internet services. The reality, however, is that consumers don't buy Apple devices specifically for services like Podcosts, Apple News, and iCloud.
Gurman said that if Internet services can be opened to Users of Android devices, it will be beneficial to Apple.
In the past, Apple was reluctant to do this because there was a group of people within Apple who believed that opening up services would affect iPhone sales, but the actual effect may be the opposite. Gurman said that if Apple's Internet service is opened to Android, it can allow more consumers to understand the Apple brand, expand the revenue of the service business, and if consumers like Apple's services, it is possible to continue to go one step further and buy Apple's hardware.
So far, in the Android ecosystem, Apple has only launched an influential software: Apple Music, and Apple Music's predecessor is the acquired "Beats Music", which launched the Android client very early. In addition, the online music market is fiercely competitive, and if it withdraws from the Android platform, Apple Music will be difficult to compete with the industry tycoon Spotify.
In the Google Play Software Store, Apple Music isn't as well downloaded as Spotify or other rivals, but it's wise for Apple Music to continue maintaining its Android client. According to sensor tower, a mobile Internet research company, Apple Music ranks only 42nd in the Google Software Store's music download list, with a cumulative record of 79 million downloads. For comparison, Spotify, which ranks first, has been downloaded about 1 billion times.
Last year, in the video chat service Facetime, Apple introduced a new feature that allows users to send links to Android users to join video conversations. This feature isn't yet a standalone piece of software, but it's a small step in introducing apple's ecosystem to Android users.
Apple's other Android software is more prosaic, such as a tool to set up Beats headphones, a tool to find AirTags Bluetooth tags, and a tool to help users migrate data from Android to iOS.
Gurman pointed out that Apple has several Internet services that are worth promoting to the Android ecosystem, and they include the following:
Apple TV+: To compete with rivals like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, Apple TV+ needs to cover as many user platforms as possible. Apple has launched Apple TV+ in the past on Sony PS consoles, Microsoft Xbox, Internet web pages, smart TVs, and google and Amazon video platforms.
But Apple TV+ is still missing an important link, that is, Android phones. Android phones are a tool for hundreds of millions of people around the world to watch videos. At present, Android users can watch Apple TV+ through the web page, but the experience is not ideal.
Apple Books: This is a paid-to-read software that also covers audiobooks. Although not an industry leader, it is still an important member of Apple's family of web services. There's no reason not to roll out this service for Android devices, especially Android tablets.
iCloud calendar, mailbox, notes and other tools: In reality, many consumers are Apple Computer (MAC) users, but not every Apple Computer user will buy Apple's mobile phone or tablet, and a large number of Apple computer users are actually using Android phones.
For this group, Apple should make it easier for them to synchronize their daily data with Apple's iCloud. In this way, this group may continue to stay in the Apple ecosystem, rather than buying Chromebooks (Google ecosystem) and non-Apple PCs that match better Android phones and tablets.
Podcosts: Apple's audio category services include Apple Music and standalone "Podcosts," and promoting Apple Music for Android can expand its reach. Android users who purchase Podcosts memberships can also bring a steady stream of membership fee revenue.
Apple News: Apple rival Google has launched a news client for the Android platform, Apple's news products are doing well, why not cover the Android platform and get more members?
The manifest is not migrated
In the "portable checklist" above, Apple Maps, mobile chat iMessage, and Facetime are not listed.
Gurman said that Apple Maps is really just a waste of time for Apple engineers, the product is not performing well, and it is expected that 99% of Android users will not be interested in using Apple Maps. The Google Maps experience is excellent and integrates seamlessly with the Android ecosystem.
iMessage and Facetime are actually Apple's secret weapons to prevent users from defecting to Android. If the Android platform is covered, it can indeed increase the number of users of the two services, but it may affect Apple's iPhone business, which contributes $200 billion a year.
Therefore, although consumers are happy to see the Android version of iMessage, unless the EUROPEAN Union issues a mandatory order, Apple will still make this service unique to apple ecology.
Source: Sina Technology