Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The US Division of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit in opposition to Apple, accusing it of making a monopoly with the iPhone.
- In response to the lawsuit, Apple revealed it spent three years engaged on Android compatibility for the Apple Watch however in the end scrapped it.
- The lawsuit highlights the overall difficulties of utilizing Apple merchandise with different manufacturers, making it costly for customers to change ecosystems.
In a stunning flip of occasions, Apple revealed that it beforehand explored making the Apple Watch appropriate with Android telephones. This comes as a part of the corporate’s response to a latest DOJ lawsuit accusing it of making a monopoly with the iPhone, notably by making its merchandise troublesome to make use of with different manufacturers.
Whereas Apple is understood for its “walled backyard” method, the place its gadgets work finest inside its ecosystem, it looks as if it did give Android compatibility a shot, a minimum of with the Apple Watch.
We’ve beforehand had stories claiming that Apple was engaged on an Android-compatible Apple Watch, however that is the primary time the corporate appears to have confirmed it. In response to 9to5Mac, Apple confirmed that it spent three years attempting to make the Apple Watch Android-compatible earlier than in the end scrapping the mission resulting from “technical limitations.”
Because the Apple Watch solely works with iPhones, customers who need to swap away from iPhones have to surrender their Apple Watch and purchase a brand new smartwatch appropriate with Android. Once I switched to a foldable telephone final yr, I needed to promote my Apple Look ahead to a fraction of its unique value.
Would you purchase an Apple Watch if it supported Android?
842 votes
The US DOJ lawsuit in opposition to Apple goes past simply the Apple Watch’s restricted compatibility. The lawsuit accuses Apple of using a number of practices that create hurdles for its customers who need to use merchandise/providers from different manufacturers. These embrace blocking “tremendous apps” that might simplify switching from iPhones, hindering cloud-based gaming apps, purposefully making messaging much less practical between iPhones and Android gadgets, and stopping third-party builders from creating competing digital wallets that work with Apple Pay.
Apple has since denied these claims, stating the lawsuit is “flawed on the information and the legislation.”
There’s a transparent benefit for shoppers if all gadgets, no matter model, might work collectively flawlessly. Nevertheless, Apple’s energy lies in its tightly woven ecosystem. The seamless integration between iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches is certainly one of its largest promoting factors. It’s price noting that even Samsung’s Galaxy Watches provide some options that solely work with Samsung telephones. So, forcing Apple to open up its ecosystem could be useful for broader compatibility, nevertheless it might additionally have an effect on the corporate’s core competency.