It wasn’t all that surprising to see Apple Music launch on Android, despite Apple’s aversion to releasing its software on other platforms, because there’s no way the music-streaming service would be able to succeed without tapping into the massive Android userbase. However, CEO Tim Cook recently revealed to some of Apple’s employees that the company didn’t just release Apple Music on Android out of necessity, it did it to test the waters to see how interested Android users would be in using Apple apps. Bringing its apps and services to other platforms would reduce the company’s reliance on hardware, and with iPhone sales expected to start shrinking for the first time this year, diversification is exactly what Apple needs.
It looks like more Apple software may be coming to the Android operating system. A recent “Town Hall” event saw Tim Cook revealing to employees that Apple Music was just “testing the waters” of Android to see if there was enough interest to release additional apps on the competition’s platform. There’s no official word yet as to what apps we might expect from the iPhone manufacturer, but potential choices include a slew of iCloud services from calendars to email to notes. Apple’s messaging service iMessage would be a welcome addition to the Android marketplace for a large number of users who spend their days with a foot in each world, running an Android phone by day but an iPad by night. Apple Pay would be a nice addition too, but there are doubts as to whether it could feasibly make the jump to an alternate operating system and maintain the security it currently has. Apple has found themselves in a little bit of a complicated situation. Both Google and Microsoft have made bold initiatives to make their software available on as many devices as possible, regardless of operating system. However, Apple has remained somewhat exclusive, potentially limiting themselves. Now that they’re trying to branch out, they’re finding themselves competing with much more entrenched software, and it’s uncertain how much demand remains for these apps within the Android ecosystem.
