Ecosystems are an important element of tech companies’ business these days. While some may go about it in different ways, the end result is still the same. Use a company’s services and, when available, the company’s devices.
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, and others all have a vision of their own as to how that looks. Apple has stuck with that vision for a very long time now, only veering off course when it seems absolutely necessary. Apple Music, for instance. When that service was announced, Apple realized that to have an even bigger subscriber base, you couldn’t ignore Android.
Even though Apple tries to ignore Android in a variety of other ways.
I don’t actually know any Android users who use Apple Music, myself excluded. I’ve asked a few people to try it out, but they’ve decided to stick with Spotify. Or, in some rare cases, Google Play Music. But there is no denying Apple Music’s ridiculously positive subscriber numbers, and at least some part of that has to come from Android users out there in the wild.
One area that Apple continues to ignore is the Apple Watch and support for anything other than iOS. Which is a real shame, because, similar to Apple Music, the Watch is a perfect instrument to reach that other platform. I have no doubt at all that if Apple could bring its wearable to the Android platform, a lot of people would buy it.
A lot of people are already buying the device, so expanding support to Android would be like opening the floodgates. And it may even sway some folks to switch their smartphone platform, too. Because we all know that even if Android support did arrive for the Apple Watch, the company would find a way to make the experience with iOS better.
I don’t know that I actually see this happening, though. The Apple Watch has become synonymous with the overall brand ever since its debut, and with such a lynchpin device now heralded as the best of its kind, I can only imagine Apple wants to make sure that stays an iPhone-only experience. Still, adding Android support would be pretty awesome.
What do you think? Should Apple add Android support for the Apple Watch? And if you’re an Android user, would you buy an Apple Watch if the company did add support? Let me know!