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Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android

Mactendo said:
Wrong, wrong, wrong... Apple could limit some iMessage features on Android if it's so scared or sell it for $1 per year. Messaging is huge, bringing iMessage to Android would help Apple get much more attention and boost sales in China alone. Apple would win much more than it could possibly lose.
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They already do... it's called SMS/MMS. :p

Geez guys, you'd think that you couldn't msg people on Android phones through the Message app. So what if the bubbles are green and not blue. What more do you need? Stickers, SFX, etc.? Just send your msg (or pic) and move on.
 
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tjmeijer said:
thats not what i am saying at all...
just talking about an app.. thats about communicating.. and wanting it to be on android.. just like iTunes
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You make a reasonable point about communicating. However, cross platform iTunes is different. It was originally to provide syncing capabilities to iPod owners who didn't have a Mac. Since then, it enabled iTunes Store purchases and subscriptions for media like music and movies. In that sense, people using non-Apple platforms could still be Apple customers.
 
tjmeijer said:
So its all about money for apple?, not about customer satisfaction?
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Well, of course. What companies aren't in it to make money?

Achieving high customer satisfaction is one of the primary tools by which Apple is able to charge as much as they do - hence making more money.
 
Apple had superior software on the computer side many years ago; didn't "share," lost tons of opportunity to grow. Same thing is happening here.

I've used Macs/etc. since 1986, so, yes, I know it's not about marketshare. But it's becoming more about "compatibility," and that will only continue to increase.

Apple is navigating a tenuous road; it will be interesting to see where things are 3 years from now.
 
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jasonklee said:
Anyone who buys an iPhone just for iMessage is someone who doesn't deserve to use any technology. It's beyond comprehension why Apple would use resources to enhance something so banal and useless such as an instant messaging app instead of fabricating real features like the ability to force quit all apps at once. Priorities, Apple. Get them straight.
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As they said, they're enhancing the app that is used by most people most of the time. From that perspective, they have their priorities just right
 
I think it's a moot point to an extent. Other than group chat. Most have unlimited text now. When iMessage first launched limits were a bit more common.
 
FactVsOpinion said:
You make a reasonable point about communicating. However, cross platform iTunes is different. It was originally to provide syncing capabilities to iPod owners who didn't have a Mac. Since then, it enabled iTunes Store purchases and subscriptions for media like music and movies. In that sense, people using non-Apple platforms could still be Apple customers.
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i see your point about being apple customers
but.. if iMessage would be big on android.. apple could make money with iMessage too.. just like whatsapp is doing..

WhatsApp and Instagram shift business models - FT.com
 
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jasonklee said:
Anyone who buys an iPhone just for iMessage is someone who doesn't deserve to use any technology. It's beyond comprehension why Apple would use resources to enhance something so banal and useless such as an instant messaging app instead of fabricating real features like the ability to force quit all apps at once. Priorities, Apple. Get them straight.
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I still buy iPads and iPhones for my family because of iMessage and Facetime. My five-year-old can communicate with his grandparents via facetime, and I can quickly respond to texts from my iPad, desktop, laptop, or iPhone. For years I have had different iMessage threads for my law school friends, my ibanking friends, and my college friends. We all feel locked into iMessage.

Maybe Allo and Duo will be how Google convinces us to switch, but if Apple had released an iMessage and Facetime app this week, our next phones and tablets would all be Androids.
 
It made sense when Apple had so much market share, but iOS isn't the the premier OS for mobile devices any more. Anyways, I think the advantages of Android are at the tipping point to dumping iphones.

September will be a key date, if there hardware doesn't catch up in a big way.. buy buy Apple and imessages
 
Derekuda said:
But now that you have T-Mo, you DO have unlimted messaging which furthers my point. Also, I can't help you if your using an overpriced outdated grandfathered plan from the early 90's. That's on you.
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Wow, the iPhone was around in the early '90s? Where have I been? Back then I was using a MOTO StarTac (and not on ATT) and I could have been using a smart phone? Bummer.

No genius, I was pointing out that not everyone has unlimited text in the USA (like you pointed out in your original post).

...and BTW, that grandfathered plan was from my first iPhone (the 3G), and I kept it going even after they stopped offering it. I felt (at the time) unlimited data was more important than unlimited msgs.
 
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Derekuda said:
That's fine. As an Android user, I find Skype vastly superior for both Video chat and messaging. But like most Americans, I use standard SMS 99% of the time.
ALSO, people here in the USA are pretty dumb when it comes to messaging in general. They all have unlimited texting (which is pretty impossible not to have even on prepaid plans) but use iMessage which counts against their data caps just so they can see the three little dots when people type.

EDIT: Google Hangouts is also great for messaging, but like I said before, most people just use SMS.
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You're right, there is soooo much data in text messages...we are so dumb! o_O "Derp! 'Mericans not bright." Keep your slander to yourself.
 
Senior Apple executive says:

"Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on"

There is a reason I don't use iMessage or Siri, and this is exactly the reason.
 
Mac Fly (film) said:
Not bull. I use Apple devices exclusively and Apple by not having an Android counterpart to iMessage complicates my device messaging experience. I don't want to send text messages and I don't want to have to install third party chat clients. But I need to because of this stubborn thinking on Apple's part. They are making communication more difficult for me and this is supposed to keep me using an iPhone? There's a reason most people have WhatsApp installed—it's cross platform. Apple need to wake up.
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The emphasis that I added to your post is all I need to say...
 
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WardC said:
Senior Apple executive says:

"Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on"

There is a reason I don't use iMessage or Siri, and this is exactly the reason.
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That's also the reason you don't use google for searches or gmail, or browse amazon, or stream netflix? Your data has been mined for machine learning for over a decade.
 
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Lol, a lot of Andriod users asking here for iMessage but if Apple releases it to Android these users will bash it and rate 1 star on Play Store.
 
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I'm annoyed by this, just like how when FaceTime was first announced, it was touted as "cross-platform", which never happened. Yes, it is based on "open technologies," but the system itself isn't open.
 
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I, for one, applaud the NO iMessage on Android stance by Apple - you want in, buy in - how about $9.99/month or stand down ... remember you can always use Facebook's WhatsApp for free and a bit of privacy mining.
 
The Mad Hatter said:
They already do... it's called SMS/MMS. :p

Geez guys, you'd think that you couldn't msg people on Android phones through the Message app. So what if the bubbles are green and not blue. What more do you need? Stickers, SFX, etc.? Just send your msg (or pic) and move on.
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Geez, just imagine the world is so huge that many if not most people don't have unlimited SMS plans.
 
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