Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android

[ke-iron]

No, you're misunderstanding both what I said and what happened with Blackberry.

Their OS and Hardware were falling horribly behind iOS and Android, but they had a had a hardcore following of dedicated users, many of whom were very strongly tied to BBM. They thought users in their BBM ecosystem would always stick with them because switching and losing access to the ecosystem was too much inconvenience. And we all know how that worked out for Blackberry.

Now iPhones are laughably behind, even using the same outdated, crappy screen tech into last 2017 at least. Go into a store and hold a galaxy S7 edge next to an iPhone 6s plus. The difference in the hardware is stunning. The Galaxy screen is magnificent next to the dull iPhone screen, the tiny bezels on the Galaxy make the iPhone look like a relic from a past decade. 16 Gig entry level iPhone. Really? in 2016.

Then on the software side, about the only difference in functionality between iOS 9 and iOS 6 is that 9 has more bloatware and more bugs. Android is lightyears beyond iOS, widgets and tiles let you set up a vey tidy and functional interface on Android. Apple still gives you a simple app launcher from 2007.

But just like blackberry before it, Apple thinks their existing customers will keep buying because they're stuck in the ecosystem. And iMessage will keep them in the ecosystem. And just like blackberry, they'll see that with a market share about 13%, their proprietary message system is just useless because not enough other people use it for the people with iPhones to bother.

So somehow you've turned this to an android against Apple debate, great job dude just great. There is no comparison between blackberry and Apple. Blackberry went out of business because their OS couldn't keep up with iOS and android OS. End of story.

Let's get this straight. People do not buy iPhones because of iMessage. Apple is greatly improving iMessage because it's simply the go to messaging app most iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users use. Plain and simple. Stop trying to read in between the lines and figure things out. There isn't anything to figure out. This notion that you people think someone buys an iPhone for iMessage is completely stupid.

As for the iPhone hardware being behind, that statement is incorrect. The screen technology in the iPhone isn't outdated. It is current technology just as oled is current. Do Best Buy's only sell oled tv's? No. So stop the nonsense. The screen and bezel size isn't what you want and that's understandable because there is better looking screens and bezels out there no doubt. However the technology called LED, LCD, IPS or whatever variant is still current date tech.

As for software, Apple keeps things looking uniformed and simple on their iOS devices because the idea is, if you can use an iPhone 1 you can use an iPhone 6. There have been countless improvements if you took a few minutes to explore. Android is not light years ahead of iOS, their system is a lot more unrestricted, but also a lot more messy. Not everyone wants that. And don't dare speak the word widgets because that was stolen from Apple desktop OS. A lot of ideas stolen when Google sat on the same board and ideas were discussed. If you stole someone's ideas and released it in the form of a product that doesn't make it yours. Most iPhone users don't mind the wait for Apple to bring the tech to us. When they do it's always lovely.

We use iPhones because we love it. We love the experience. As long as Apple can keep its users happy and loving the experience they will never go out of business like blackberry, palm or any other phone company did. Doesn't matter if we got the feature one or two years later than you did. We love the seamless implementation and how the system works, that's what matters, it's what keeps us happy and keep coming back for more.

Apple is like the Porsche of cell phones, I don't think I need to explain what I mean by that.

 

[navaira]

People do not buy iPhones because of iMessage. Apple is greatly improving iMessage because it's simply the go to messaging app most iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users use. Plain and simple. Stop trying to read in between the lines and figure things out. There isn't anything to figure out. This notion that you people think someone buys an iPhone for iMessage is completely stupid.

You beat me to it – was going to post the same thing.

Limiting iMessage to Apple devices is a very good way to push people towards other services. It works really well in the Netherlands. Out of all my friends, colleagues and acquaintances one uses iMessage. Everybody else has Whatsapp, no matter what device, Android, Apple, old, new.

 

[mantan]

So somehow you've turned this to an android against Apple debate, great job dude just great. There is no comparison between blackberry and Apple. Blackberry went out of business because their OS couldn't keep up with iOS and android OS. End of story.

Let's get this straight. People do not buy iPhones because of iMessage. Apple is greatly improving iMessage because it's simply the go to messaging app most iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users use. Plain and simple. Stop trying to read in between the lines and figure things out. There isn't anything to figure out. This notion that you people think someone buys an iPhone for iMessage is completely stupid.

As for the iPhone hardware being behind, that statement is incorrect. The screen technology in the iPhone isn't outdated. It is current technology just as oled is current. Do Best Buy's only sell oled tv's? No. So stop the nonsense. The screen and bezel size isn't what you want and that's understandable because there is better looking screens and bezels out there no doubt. However the technology called LED, LCD, IPS or whatever variant is still current date tech.

As for software, Apple keeps things looking uniformed and simple on their iOS devices because the idea is, if you can use an iPhone 1 you can use an iPhone 6. There have been countless improvements if you took a few minutes to explore. Android is not light years ahead of iOS, their system is a lot more unrestricted, but also a lot more messy. Not everyone wants that. And don't dare speak the word widgets because that was stolen from Apple desktop OS. A lot of ideas stolen when Google sat on the same board and ideas were discussed. If you stole someone's ideas and released it in the form of a product that doesn't make it yours. Most iPhone users don't mind the wait for Apple to bring the tech to us. When they do it's always lovely.

We use iPhones because we love it. We love the experience. As long as Apple can keep its users happy and loving the experience they will never go out of business like blackberry, palm or any other phone company did. Doesn't matter if we got the feature one or two years later than you did. We love the seamless implementation and how the system works, that's what matters, it's what keeps us happy and keep coming back for more.

Apple is like the Porsche of cell phones, I don't think I need to explain what I mean by that.

I was kind of with you until you called the iPhone the 'Porsche' of cell phones. You're obviously not a car guy.

The iPhone it far too ubiquitous and lacks any really compelling performance features to compare it to a Porsche.

 

[symphara]

I thought it would be a mistake for Apple to open iMessage up to Android, because it's clearly superior to anything the Android platform has. And it looks like it's about to get much, much better.

I am genuinely curious to know how iMessage is "clearly superior". I have an iPad and I found no use whatsoever for iMessage. On my Macbook I only use it hooked to my Yahoo and Google accounts, and as a messenger app, it's clearly inferior to most offerings out there. Granted, I use an Android phone (because anything I can do on iOS, I can do faster on Android) and I know very few people with iPhones, of which all use Hangouts or WhatsApp, so I'm completely mystified about iMessage.

Is it an SMS thing? I wonder, is it mostly US? (I live in Europe)

 

[TwoBytes]

g iMessage because it's simply the go to messaging app most iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users use. Plain and simple..

No. plain and simple. See all the other posts by people using group chat. All it takes is one person in group and you default to a common service like whatsapp...the number 1 app in the app store

 

[JGIGS]

But the iMessage encryption certainly might.

WhatsApp is also encrypted

 

[alexgowers]

I think apple should open to android the main advantages of iMessage are that it works across all your devices. If someone has a Mac and an android they can do both and might get an iPhone next time if they know how it works between the devices. They still won't be able to send texts from their Mac like iPhones can. Adding it to android I think would actually draw people into using it.

I think it's part of what killed blackberry messaging. People bought the phones because at the time they were good. As soon as other phones were better despite leaving that feature behind people wanted a different brand regardless. As soon as no one important was using BB it imploded so badly.

 

[C DM]

WhatsApp is also encrypted

In the same fashion?

 

[lowendlinux]

In the same fashion?

That's what it says.

 

[ke-iron]

No. plain and simple. See all the other posts by people using group chat. All it takes is one person in group and you default to a common service like whatsapp...the number 1 app in the app store

You're talking about a very small number of people. This is what you guys don't seem to understand. Even though it's the number one selling messaging app it's still a small number compared to the amount of people with cell phones who uses the stock messaging app or other apps. Everyone I know who uses what's app or another messenger on iOS or android still uses the stock app. Simply because there will always be friends or someone who will contact you that way. For group chats sure it might be easier to download a common app on all platforms for everyone to use and that's fine, it also makes sense. But everyone's conversations is not group conversations and neither are all their conversations.

 

[Radon87000]

Ah, yes, that is certainly a meaningful and powerful "argument" right there. Realistically there's less of a reason to believe random things posted online by anonymous users, right? Kind of makes all of this futile.
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You don't when you have your phone in airplane mode and just have WiFi activated to use a WiFi connection that are fairly prevalent.
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It's a service for Apple customers. They are not after having others use it (at least so far). BBM didn't somehow die oit because it was proprietary (and it actually wasn't after some time), it simply did because BlackBerry itself went down essentially (unrelated to its messaging service).
[doublepost=1466175157][/doublepost]
That's the point, they are not competing.

Its all just marketing hoopla.They do the same thing Google does with your data.Difference is Google doesnt hide it.Apple hides it in its fine print.

The only place for MY DATA is my good old external HDD

 

[ke-iron]

I was kind of with you until you called the iPhone the 'Porsche' of cell phones. You're obviously not a car guy.

The iPhone it far too ubiquitous and lacks any really compelling performance features to compare it to a Porsche.

Yes I'm a car guy and yes the iPhone I think is comparable to Porsche. From the drawing board to the final product, never rushing to be the first out the gate with new technology or design updates for their consumer cars, outstanding support and legacy support, meticulously crafted from finest quality materials, build products for longevity and have a loyal customer base.

What performance features you think the iPhone lacks?

 

[attila7575]

I highly disagree with Apple. An iMessage on android should bring ten millions of users to the service, so they should make it as a subscription based service and make a huge amount of money. If iMessage existed on android, I could remove whatsapp and other messaging apps from my phone.

 

[kdarling]

Let's get this straight. People do not buy iPhones because of iMessage.

One thing that's clear from this thread, is that it depends on where in the world you live, and who's using it.

For instance, in my small town, iPhones rule with teen girls like my daughter, at least partly because of iMessage.

A lot of ideas stolen when Google sat on the same board and ideas were discussed.

Nonsense. Not even Jobs ever claimed anything was stolen while a Google person sat on the Apple board (not to mention several other people who sat on BOTH boards).

If you stole someone's ideas and released it in the form of a product that doesn't make it yours.

Tell that to people who think Apple owned slide to unlock, pinch zoom, and other preexisting items. We never saw Jobs do a demo like, "Look at this ... inertial scrolling! Isn't that cool?! It's existed for decades." No sir, he acted as if Apple had come up with it.

Heck, Jobs started his whole childish "thermonuclear" thing because for some strange reason he apparently thought Apple had invented multi-touch, and got mad when Android turned it on.

Apple even tried to trademark "multitouch", but their effort was stopped by a letter to the USPTO from Jeff Han (you remember him - he demoed multitouch at TED before the iPhone came out).

 

[Shanghaichica]

I highly disagree with Apple. An iMessage on android should bring ten millions of users to the service, so they should make it as a subscription based service and make a huge amount of money. If iMessage existed on android, I could remove whatsapp and other messaging apps from my phone.

I wouldn't want to pay for iMessage as it has been free to me as an iPhone user over the years.

 

[attila7575]

I wouldn't want to pay for iMessage as it has been free to me as an iPhone user over the years.

I meant the android market.

 

[symphara]

Yes I'm a car guy and yes the iPhone I think is comparable to Porsche.

Not in any shape or form. I have two Porsches (Boxster S and Macan Turbo) and an iPhone is just an ok product, but nothing head and shoulders over other stuff. In my opinion a good Android phone is quite a bit better than an iPhone and incomparable value for money.

In a car analogy, an iPhone is more like a VW Passat with a 3 liter engine sold for 911 Turbo S money - solid, does the job, but quite unexciting, not anywhere near top performance, and way overpriced.

 

[C DM]

Its all just marketing hoopla.They do the same thing Google does with your data.Difference is Google doesnt hide it.Apple hides it in its fine print.

The only place for MY DATA is my good old external HDD

Might as well stay off the internet and not use mobile devices at all. Hoopla, indeed.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I never use iMessage at all, everybody I know has The Line App, Line is huge in Asia.

Don't forget not only is line cross platform it also works on PC's, laptops and tablets, it also does not require a phone number

In Asia/Thailand it's almost impossible not to use it as many do not have data plans and rely on free WiFi and to keep sms bills down

We only have one Thai sim whilst on holiday and my wife can easily free call me from our house if I'm out and about

 

[Keirasplace]

Not in any shape or form. I have two Porsches (Boxster S and Macan Turbo) and an iPhone is just an ok product, but nothing head and shoulders over other stuff. In my opinion a good Android phone is quite a bit better than an iPhone and incomparable value for money.

In a car analogy, an iPhone is more like a VW Passat with a 3 liter engine sold for 911 Turbo S money - solid, does the job, but quite unexciting, not anywhere near top performance, and way overpriced.

Except it IS top performance by any real world metric, so not sure what the hell your talkiing about.
If you were talking performance VS money you'd have a point, otherwise you don't.
The A9 / IOS 9 combo (integration improves performance) brings way more perf (high perf and less throttling) than whatever others have, the storage subsystem is also much better than the competition.
The build itself, 7000 series aluminium slab that will last years is also better than the competition.

The only part they could really improve on is the camera, which in still good light shots is behind Samsung. But, the Apple camera is still a faster camera with better video.

Touch ID has still no real competition in terms of speed and easy and they got a haptic screen for god's sake. They may even put the digitizer that's in the Ipad pros in the next phone, which would blow away whatever's in the Notes.

 

[sliceoftoast]

Doesn't android have a message app?

Just Get Whatsapp problem solved, works on both platforms. Whatsapp Web would save you from having to pick up the phone if you had to text.

 

[symphara]

Except it IS top performance by any real world metric, so not sure what the hell your talkiing about.

If you look at

for example, you can see how an Android phone that here where I live can be bought for the equivalent of under $500 beating soundly, on performance, an iPhone that costs nearly twice as much. And it's a nicer phone construction-wise as well, has a better screen, a better camera, better battery life, faster fingerprint reader etc. And of course there are many other great Android phones out there and even faster ones.

It's not that the iPhone is a bad product. I think it's an ok product, although personally I find Android a much more fluid phone OS from the point of view of doing stuff and jumping from something to something else.

But the Porsche analogy doesn't hold. There's no phone for which the analogy would hold. The difference between a premium and ultra-premium car and a normal one is quite large, and it has to be, since you pay many more tens of thousands extra. While Apple overcharges for the iPhone, the baseline is in the hundreds of dollars, so you couldn't get that much more. In my opinion, you generally get a bit less but it's fashion tech so it's a matter of taste.

 

[The Game 161]

Don't forget not only is line cross platform it also works on PC's, laptops and tablets, it also does not require a phone number

In Asia/Thailand it's almost impossible not to use it as many do not have data plans and rely on free WiFi and to keep sms bills down

We only have one Thai sim whilst on holiday and my wife can easily free call me from our house if I'm out and about

thats why imessage is huge for me, when at home i know i don't need to worry about checking my phone for texts or calls it comes straight through to my ipad pro. Which is really ideal. I won't ever miss any important messages that way.

 

[brutus007]

Why crud up a good system by opening it to JAVA users?

If Apple wishes to be a "for business company" they need to have a system that works for all people. SMS works on every phone, so why not message. Otherwise it is just another social networking chat program.

 

[C DM]

If Apple wishes to be a "for business company" they need to have a system that works for all people. SMS works on every phone, so why not message. Otherwise it is just another social networking chat program.

It's integrated into the same app that does SMS messaging, so it's basically seamless messaging with anyone (iMessage gets used when possible, otherwise SMS, all without the user having to even think about it, let alone do anything differently).