Microsoft CEO Would 'Welcome' Apple to Bring iMessage to Windows

[bobcomer]

But more on point. I'd love to have iMessage on my Windows PCs but I give it about a snowballs chance in Hell of it ever happening.

I think all of the main cell providers have a Windows app available for SMS. Also, Windows has a combo app for android that supports SMS. I'd rather have iMessage though...

No longer supported: Verizon Messages (Message+) | Verizon Support

Verizon Messages (Message+) has been discontinued. Find additional information about the retirement of Verizon Messages (Message+).

www.verizon.com

is an example

 

[JCCL]

Do Americans not guess or does it work differently in the colonies? I thought iMessage was a messaging app that automatically converted messages to SMS/MMS when the recipient wasn't on iOS.

Except - SMS stopped being a viable option in most countries years ago......Get a passport. Or at the very least, read.

 

[macpro2000]

I hope they don't do it. It's nice to know by the green if the person has a POS Android.

 

[JonDiesel]

I am primarily an Apple device and service user, but when I’m working from home or playing games at night I primarily use my Windows PC and find it annoying to have to prop up an iPad or have my phone nearby to answer texts that I could easily answer from the PC if it was possible. I would be open to this.
Besides they’ve already ported over iCloud, keychain, drive, etc to Windows what user base are they going to lose if they bring this app to Windows Store? It would really just be a nice convenience for their current consumers, which unfortunately Apple does not have a great track record for doing.

 

[adampk17]

I hope they don't do it. It's nice to know by the green if the person has a POS Android.

LOL, truth.

 

[4jasontv]

Except - SMS stopped being a viable option in most countries years ago......Get a passport. Or at the very least, read.

Lol. Viable eh? Are you saying the non us networks are so poor they can’t handle sms or that non us customers are so cheap they won’t pay for a basic service?

 

[mungo2k]

iMessage is the reason why a lot of people stay with iPhones. Not going to happen.

What's the point using a messaging system that isn't cross-platform? Especially one that can flip to SMS which can end up costing you if you're not careful (eg friends overseas), or just fail because your carrier blocks overseas SMS. Or people just don't receive your message because they unwittingly have different identities enabled on different Apple devices?

I've basically been let down by iMessage too often, so now I pretty much only use it for receiving 2FA codes from Apple.

 

[iHorseHead]

I have yet to see a single ad in my WhatsApp experience. And sorry, I think you're wrong. Outside of the US, most people don't even know iMessage exists, and people think it is just plain old SMS, and those that do know it exists like myself refuse to use it as i don't know or care about what devices my recipients are using. Apple does have some functions that are device sellers. iMessage is not one of them.

True. My family members use iPhones and I sent an iMessage to my sister and asked her several times to use iMessage with me, but she always replies me on WhatsApp.
My friends that use iPhones also have said: "I don't like iMessage. Let's use WhatsApp" and there's nothing you can do.
Everybody uses WhatsApp. I begged one of my friends to use iMessage, so I could use it 😂 She eventually agreed.

I've been using WhatsApp since 2011 and I've never seen an ad either. Never. I remember when you had to "pay" for it as well, but no one ever did and nothing happened.

 

[GMShadow]

I hope they don't do it. It's nice to know by the green if the person has a POS Android.

Indeed, one tries to avoid the unwashed. 😄

 

[sublunar]

The point I’m making is: iMessage does not want to be it. It never wanted to be it. It’s interesting how people want iMessage to be something it does not want to be. Apple does not want it to be the most used messaging platform. Most apple users don’t want it either.

i use what’s app and signal for my primary messaging. To users who have an iPhone, or don’t use WhatsApp, I use iMessage. Because,
1) it guarantees delivery through text message to all users
2) to iPhone users, a whole lot of exclusive features gets unlocked.

That’s what apple wants iMessage to be. That’s what I want iMessage to me. Apple users are happy with iMessage being exclusive, because new features can be bought in, without the weight of needing to deploy it in other platforms. If I want to use the lowest common denominator, the I can use what apps.

Apple would probably get hit with the usual anti trust stuff if iMessage ever became that popular 😛

No fear of that at the moment though.

Perhaps Apple need to have a look at something like Microsoft Teams or Slack, made available for paid iCloud Tiers, that people could access.

Rather than heaping pressure on it as a paid for single app - like their failed attempts at various social media over the years - Apple should instead just quietly bundle it inside iCloud or Apple One as a business or pleasure collaboration tool which could be used by family and friends groups like a private invite only message board - part of the added value.

The paid for tier could then include a cross platform app.

It would be completely advert free as long as you are an iCloud tier subscriber or otherwise it falls back to more basic Apple only iMessage/Calendar functionality. And it it will 100% private and advert free.

 

[star-affinity]

This seems like an attempt to create a centralized location for users to find their preferred (authentic) applications without the need to navigate to their specific website to download.

Which is really clever I must say!

 

[JCCL]

Lol. Viable eh? Are you saying the non us networks are so poor they can’t handle sms or that non us customers are so cheap they won’t pay for a basic service?

I'm saying that non-US networks stopped using ancient technologies years ago. Again, get a passport and travel, it's good to learn about what goes on in different cultures and countries..... It's not considered a basic service anywhere but in the US anymore.

 

[freedomlinux]

I'm saying that non-US networks stopped using ancient technologies years ago.

Are you claiming that cell networks in other countries no longer support SMS? Not that customers don't use SMS, but that it's literally impossible...

 

[scaramoosh]

I would love it on Android so I do not have to pay for MMS to iPhone people.

 

[MacLawyer]

That would actually benefit Apple more than Microsoft if they want to push iMessage utilization. Outside of the US no one uses it, and prefer to use Whatsapp or other platforms instead of having to guess what kind of phone or computer your recipient has.

Android users receiv

That would actually benefit Apple more than Microsoft if they want to push iMessage utilization. Outside of the US no one uses it, and prefer to use Whatsapp or other platforms instead of having to guess what kind of phone or computer your recipient has.

No need to guess. My contacts app shows me what messaging app to use for a particular recipient.

 

[Tagbert]

Messages hasn't been "iMessage" for how many years? Microsoft reppin' its young, hip tech cred again.

I think the renaming of the app from iMessage to Messages only happened on the Mac in Big Sur. It's still widely known as "iMessage" and in a general discussion that is a more recognizable name than the generic "messages".

 

[genovelle]

"we're jealous of..."

wow, wow, someone's really quick at kissing Apple's ass and imagining things that never existed

He is correct. Microsoft has sucked at making money via their App Store. Just like they didn’t like the way Apple could make money selling hardware and talked down their model as a failure until they decided to do it too.

 

[richinaus]

I seem to be able to live my life using IMessage only for 99% of the time, with the odd other app thrown in.
It would be great to see it on windows but really don’t see it happening.

I am happy android apps are coming to windows however, and will add some functionality it needs rather being the boring tool it is.
I still cant believe that people actually choose to use windows over macOS but that’s a different thread……

 

[Adam-Jobs]

Wish Apple had purchased Whatsapp. Everything just works, much nicer interface. Search feels superior, less laggy. Just my experience.

 

[CorvusFox]

How about Microsoft when are you going to release the arm version of Windows so we can run it on our M1 Macs if we want?

They already did. We're waiting for Apple to release Boot Camp for ARM in order to natively boot Windows. It works great in Parallels on an M1 Mac, even legacy x64 Windows apps

 

[dzankizakon]

The web-based route would work really well for Apple, similar to their FaceTime solution. iMessage could be a web-based app that anyone could use from Windows or Android, it would be clumsy and slow but no one could say that it's limited to Apple devices. If you want polish and speed, use an Apple device.

 

[SFjohn]

Windows sounds worried. Windows 11 made me LOL!

 

[williedigital]

That would actually benefit Apple more than Microsoft if they want to push iMessage utilization. Outside of the US no one uses it, and prefer to use Whatsapp or other platforms instead of having to guess what kind of phone or computer your recipient has.

Yes, Apple is the F150 of computers.

 

[brofkand]

I wouldn’t say it’s a wasteland on the Mac, there’s only a few apps I can’t find on the App Store.

I don’t want iOS opened up, it works great and is secure.

I suppose it depends on the apps you need. I typically use homebrew to install packages on the Mac, pretty much everything I need is there and very little is in the Mac App Store.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Does anyone think Microsoft still has further hardware ambitions? What would it take for them to get back into the mobile space?

If they’re touting a more open platform, wouldn’t this mean less friction for developers, or even a lateral move? Could this be what the move is all about?