What Happened
Apple has been promoting its growing range of online services such as Apple TV+, Arcade, Fitness+ and iCloud with the phrasing “Only on Apple,” Apple columnist Mark Gurman said in his weekly “Power On” newsletter.“Apple has little to lose—and a lot to gain—by expanding its services to Android,” the Apple writer said.
As opposed to the thinking among some Apple executives that such a move may hurt iPhone sales, Gurman feels the opposite is true. Allowing services on Android will expose more people to the Apple brand, opening up the floodgates to revenue from a platform with billions of users, he added.
If these users take a liking to the services, they could even graduate to buying Apple hardware, Gurman said.
The rest of Apple’s Android apps, namely one to operate Beats headphones, another to identify nearby AirTags, and an app to migrate data from Android to iOS, are less interesting, the Apple writer said.
Apple TV+
The streaming service on Android will likely help it to better compete with rivals such as Netflix, Inc., Hulu, Walt Disney Company’s Disney+ etc.Apple Books
The app for reading and buying books, including audio versions, hasn’t been able to be the leader in the segment, as it doesn’t exist on Android devices, especially tablets.Podcasts
Making available Apple Podcasts on Android complements Apple Music. Podcasts subscriptions on Android could help create additional recurring revenue.News
Launching Apple News on Android can help gain some more subscribers.Gurman, however, thinks it wouldn’t make sense to include Apple Maps, iMessage, and FaceTime on Android. Literally, no Android customer will use Apple Maps, as Google Maps is still superior and deeply integrated into Android, he said.
Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime, according to Gurman, are huge deterrents to switching away from iOS to a hot new Android phone.
“Putting those apps on Android would greatly expand the user base of Apple’s social tools, but it could also loosen the company’s hold on its $200-billion-a-year smartphone business,” the Apple writer said.
Apple shares closed Friday’s session at $174.72, up 0.37 percent.
