Apple Recruits Trojan Horse To Attack Android

Apple is on the hunt for Android software
engineers (the job listing is currently here, and copied
below ). While there is natural speculation about what
other projects the engineers could be working on (after
all, the job description does say “exciting new mobile
products” plural), it’s worth remembering just how
pivotal Apple Music on Android could be to the
continued success of Apple in the new cloud-based
future of mobile.
Unlike Microsoft’s current zeal for ensuring its apps are
available on every mobile platform to drive consumers to
use its cloud services, Apple rarely works on
applications for other platforms. When it does, it’s smart
to pay attention. In a way, it matches Microsoft’s plan to
get as many people signed up to its cloud as possible.
It’s also about tempting users to consider moving away
from something comfortable to an alternative… an Apple
alternative.
The most visible application available on a non-Apple
platform at this point in time is iTunes for Windows.
Historically the release of iTunes for Windows saw the
iPod go from a niche peripheral on a very small OS
platform, to the music player (and then media player)
that captured the world’s attention and brought about
the second generation of smartphones with the launch
of the iPhone.
That in turn saw consumer look at the iTunes/iPod
package and consider the alternative that Apple was
offering not just with the iPod and then the iPhone, but
also with the Mac range of computers. The bridgehead
established by iTunes opened up the idea of using Apple
as an alternative.
With Apple Music set to debut on Android, it appears
that twelve years after Apple put the move on Microsoft,
it is about to use the same move against Android.