Apple Messages is one Apple service that is extremely sticky.
One reason is that it works on all of your Apple devices - iPhones, iPads, Macs. If you call or video-call a person with your iPhone to their iPhone, they can seamlessly answer on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple's system will route through the internet and will do it with end-to-end encryption. You can't do that why any other messaging system.
Google tried to create a messaging system to attract Apple customers. But it is only available on iOS.
Only Microsoft has created a similar system since Skype works on PCs, Macs and iPhone. But Microsoft no longer does phones - leaving a huge part of the market to its competitors. And only Skype for Business has end-to-end encryption.
Apple's system is only Apple. While it may make sense for Apple users, it isn't universal enough to crack the IM market.
Are you under the impression that it's Apple's goal to crack the IM market? Apple's purpose with iMessages is to provide additional value to Apple devices, which it does in spades.
No.
I don't know what plans Apple has for its IM solution. What I can say is that I don't know anybody that uses it.
Okay then! When you get out from that rock you living under, take a look around and discover that there are indeed millions upon millions of people using iMessage -- billions of messages day.
"At peak rates, that would work out to 63 quadrillion messages per year"
No one is doubting that but the fact remains. The amount of messages sent is dwarfed by competitors.
Congratulations -- you just moved the goal posts. First you suggest there are few people using iMessages because you've never seen one in your land of knockoffs. Then, when presented with actual facts dispelling that bullshit, you say "But others have more!"
Typical FUD nonsense from a troll. Moving goalposts is your speciality.
Please look at my first post in this thread. The goalposts remain rooted firmly in the same place.
What actualfacts are you referring to?
Are we talking about Eddy Cue's peak numbers, one day maximums, averages? Are we talking about articles that present numbers then question them?
I don't recall 'suggesting' few people use Apple's IM platform. Not in the slightest. I said fewer people use it than competing systems. I said I don't know anyone that uses it.
The reason is that 80% of the mobile IM market doesn't run iOS and therefore doesn't even have the option of using Apple's platform. One the other side, all iOS users have the option of using competing services.
80% implies more than 4:1 difference in usage, those stats suggest closer to 2:1. The Apple figures are also more than a year behind but there are tablets and other devices in each group.
The buying rates differ from usage due to the upgrade cycles, the easiest (sometimes only) way to get an Android update is to buy a new device:
The number of users of a fragmented ecosystem is irrelevant when you are comparing the fragments.
Every iOS user has Messages installed on every device. The most popular Android messaging apps are not installed on every Android device so it's not true that competing IM platforms have more users just because there's more devices, they report the number of users and they are all the same or less than Apple.
Not knowing anyone who uses one of the messaging apps that each process tens of billions of messages every day is also irrelevant. Most people in Western countries won't know anyone using WeChat.
Apple Messages is one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world. Processing anywhere near tens of billions of messages when there are only 7.5b people on the planet, half of whom can't afford a smartphone, is high usage.
No matter how often people try to twist reality into building up some argument for Apple porting Messages to Android, it makes no difference to Apple, they are running the servers and know what's going on. If they see a benefit to giving awesome free software to users that don't give them any money but to their competitors instead and annoy their fanbase at every opportunity then they will. There's zero reason to do this when they could far more easily send a compatible message format to any app and let Android users continue to suffer in their hellish, laggy, fragmented, poorly designed mess of a mobile experience. Or they could just leave it as is, it's not as if SMS plans are expensive any more.
Comments
https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/17/15654454/android-reaches-2-billion-monthly-active-users
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8&qpcustomd=1&qpsp=2016&qpnp=2&qptimeframe=Y
https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/blogs/smart-phones/2016/08/11/global-smartphone-installed-base-will-tap-3-billion-mark-in-2016
80% implies more than 4:1 difference in usage, those stats suggest closer to 2:1. The Apple figures are also more than a year behind but there are tablets and other devices in each group.
The buying rates differ from usage due to the upgrade cycles, the easiest (sometimes only) way to get an Android update is to buy a new device:
https://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2016/09/cirp-android-upgrade-cycle-holds-steady-iphone-extends
The number of users of a fragmented ecosystem is irrelevant when you are comparing the fragments.
Every iOS user has Messages installed on every device. The most popular Android messaging apps are not installed on every Android device so it's not true that competing IM platforms have more users just because there's more devices, they report the number of users and they are all the same or less than Apple.
Not knowing anyone who uses one of the messaging apps that each process tens of billions of messages every day is also irrelevant. Most people in Western countries won't know anyone using WeChat.
Apple Messages is one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world. Processing anywhere near tens of billions of messages when there are only 7.5b people on the planet, half of whom can't afford a smartphone, is high usage.
No matter how often people try to twist reality into building up some argument for Apple porting Messages to Android, it makes no difference to Apple, they are running the servers and know what's going on. If they see a benefit to giving awesome free software to users that don't give them any money but to their competitors instead and annoy their fanbase at every opportunity then they will. There's zero reason to do this when they could far more easily send a compatible message format to any app and let Android users continue to suffer in their hellish, laggy, fragmented, poorly designed mess of a mobile experience. Or they could just leave it as is, it's not as if SMS plans are expensive any more.