Why Apple Has ‘Little to Lose, a Lot to Gain’ by Expanding Its Services to Android Devices

The apple logo hangs outside the Apple retail store along the Magnificent Mile in Chicago on June 17, 2010. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Apple, Inc. maintains its ecosystem as a walled garden, and it has served it well so far. The company, however, stands to gain by opening up, according to an Apple specialist.

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.

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Apple Warming Up To Cross Collaboration? Apple announced last year it will allow customers to create links in FaceTime so that Android users can join calls. This, according to Gurman, is a step toward exposing Android fans to the Apple ecosystem.

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.

Gurman Wants These Apple Services On Android: Gurman disclosed his wish list for the Apple services he wants to see running on Android.

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.

iCloud Notes, Calendar, Mail, Reminders: Several Mac owners actually rely on Android smartphones, and therefore it is only logical that Apple should make it easy to sync with iCloud.

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.

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By Shanthi Rexaline

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