
Right around the time the world is buzzing over the new iPhone 6s, Apple is planning to release Apple Music on Android, its first app designed specifically for Galaxy and Moto users. While it’s not quite the hell-freezing-over move that iTunes for Windows was—the other Android app in the pipeline, Move to iOS, has the specific purpose of helping people switch to iPhone—designing an Android app is still a pretty big step for Apple. And it looks like more may be on the horizon. Just last week, 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman uncovered a job listing on Apple.com looking for an application software engineer who can “help bring exciting new mobile products to the Android platform.”
An Android version of Apple Music was surprising enough, but I never actually expected it to be the start of a trend. While Google gets paid no matter which phone someone chooses, Apple has a vested interest in getting people to buy an iOS device, and it would seem that porting apps to Android acts in direct opposition to it. But the more I think about it, the less implausible it seems. In fact, the right mix of apps might actually help Apple lure even more users to iOS, much like iTunes for Windows helped create a whole generation of switchers.
Read: Best 10 Features Of Microsoft Windows 10 you might not know
Notes
Back in its Marker Felt skeuomorphic days, Notes was probably the least useful of the iPhone’s note-takers. But over the past few revisions, Apple had turned Notes into one of its best bundled apps, and the overhauled iOS 9 version is actually one that I’d consider buying. Inside the new Notes app you’ll find a handy set of drawing tools, Photos integration, easy list and web link formatting, and an intuitive Attachments Browser that lets you quickly scan and organize your notes. It’s a great addition to iOS 9, but on Android it would be downright essential.
Messages
Apple fans have long enjoyed the pleasures of iMessage. From the speed to the end-to-end encryption, there isn’t much not to like about it, but even though Apple has expanded its Messages app functionality in El Capitan to sync and send SMS messages from the Mac, it’s still very much an Apple-only service.
And after last week’s frightening vulnerability warning, Hangouts seems ripe for disruption by Apple’s ultra-secure, super-speedy service. An Android app would expand iMessage’s ranks exponentially, rivaling WhatsApp for domination and showing Galaxy and Moto X users just how secure and seamless messaging can be.
News
If there’s one thing that iOS and Android users can agree on, it’s that we miss Google Reader. The premiere RSS app on any and every platform, Google Reader left a void when it shut down, and even with a deep catalogue of replacements in both the App and Play stores, many of us are still waiting for something that can rival its personalization and speed.
But while it’s great on the iPhone, on Android it could go a long way toward spotlighting Apple’s meticulous attention to every design detail, while also growing its user base and enticing more publishers to contribute.
Photos
When Apple rebooted iPhoto as Photos earlier this year, Mac users rejoiced. Not only did it clear up many of the longstanding issues we had with iPhoto, it brought seamless cloud syncing to our entire photo libraries, professional editing tools and a uniform, streamlined interface across all of our devices.
Apple Watch
It’s impossible to judge Apple Watch based on three measly months of sales. Over the next few years, Apple will revise and revamp Apple Watch, test various pricing tiers and expand its reach beyond Best Buy and the Apple Store, all in an effort to get it on as many wrists as possible. But no matter how many Watches Apple sells, it’ll never be as successful as it could be—by tying it to the iPhone, Apple is inherently limiting the reach of its new wearable.
Like Steve Jobs once said, “It would be like giving a glass of ice water to someone in Hell.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment
What's On Your Mind?