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Apple should bring iTunes to Android — that’s according to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Woz points out that bringing iTunes to Windows was a huge opportunity for Apple, so why not do the same with Android?
“Apple’s real rise from the small market-share Macintosh company to the iProducts of today began with iTunes and the iPod”, Woz argues. “This turned out to be a 2nd huge business which roughly doubled Apple’s ‘size’. If you remember, we ported iTunes to Windows. We now addressed 100 per cent of the world’s market with this integrated system (iPod/iTunes) and it began the era of Apple that we are now in.”
It’s a good point: iTunes software on Windows computers meant we could buy an iPod — and later an iPhone 5 or iPad — without having to also own an expensive iMac or MacBook computer.
“So why don’t we port iTunes to Android?” asks Woz. “I love Apple products and iTunes and wish it were on my Android products too.”
It’s an intriguing idea, as mobile use has exploded in the past couple of years, and with it, the idea of buying music, films and TV on your phone or tablet while on the go has become normal.
The difference between porting to Windows and porting to Android, however, is that a desktop version of iTunes encouraged people to buy an iPod, whereas an Android version would actually give people an excuse not to buy an iPod or iPhone. If you have a huge iTunes library tying you to the iPhone, you’d suddenly be free to buy a cheaper or better Android phone without losing all your music.
Woz was talking to Apple fans in a question and answer session on Slashdot, where he also discussed open-source technology, praised bigger phones, and wished that “instead of all these lawsuits Apple was sitting down and cross-licensing with the other players”. The man who invented the Apple ruled out ever working for Apple again, but admitted that “Apple is #1 in my heart”.
Do you think iTunes should come to Android? Would Apple benefit — and would Android be better off? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
