Does the Beats acquisition make iTunes and other Apple products on Android more likely?
So after a long period of uncertainty, it is definitely happening: Beats Music, the makers of the trendy headphones are now a part of Apple. Last night Apple’s Eddy Cue, speaking at a conference, reassured users that the Beats Android app will continue to be supported.
Which puts Apple in a strange position: The company is now an Android developer.
That’s right. Whilst it may not be surprising to see Google make apps for Apple’s iOS platform, this is the first time Cupertino has deigned to allow its products on the rival platform.
This perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising to the eagle-eyed: For a few months there have been rumours and Apple has been making quiet noises about getting a bit closer to Android, with earlier speculation that the company are thinking of launching an Android version of iTunes due to losing out to the likes of Spotify.
Thanks to the Beats acquisition, Apple may not have a means to rectify that – and with Beats, can start bringing in cash from Android users, who make up upwards of 80% of smartphone users.
So here’s the thing: As Apple will soon have in-house Android expertise, and a presence on Android… would it be unfair to speculate this could lead to convincing Tim Cook & Co that Android could be a good idea? Could we see more Apple Android apps in the future?
Heck, the company is already taking heat for iMessage not switching back to normal text messages when people switch from iOS to Android… so why not simply launch iMessage for Android?
If Apple heads in this direction, it can only be a good thing for consumers as it means that you won’t be locked into one company’s eco-system or other other, but would be able to mix and match.
Here’s hoping Cook gives it some consideration.
