At WWDC on Monday, Apple “again declined to extend its much-loved and much-used iMessage messaging system to Android, even though Google still seems vulnerable in this area,” Walt Mossberg reports for The Verge.
“Apple did announce a clutch of new features for iMessage, like giant emojis, and handwritten texts. And it’s turning the service into a true platform that can host third-party apps like cash transfer services, stickers, photo editing, and restaurant reservation apps,” Mossberg reports. “But all of this seemed more about keeping people on Apple hardware than about building the biggest possible services.”
“When I asked a senior Apple executive why iMessage wasn’t being expanded to other platforms, he gave two answers,” Mossberg reports. “First, he said, 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. And, second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those devices — the company’s classic (and successful) rationale for years.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Show of hands: Who bought or is keeping their iPhone because it offers the Messages app?
If your hand is raised, on a scale of 1-10 (1 = least important, 10 = most important) how important to your iPhone purchase/retention is Messages?
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s new iMessage is great, but why the hell isn’t it on Android, yet? – June 14, 2016
Apple’s iMessage and Siri will allow iOS 10 users to send money via Square Cash – June 13, 2016
Apple to deliver iMessage to Android at WWDC – June 9, 2016
