There is a growing concern right now that Apple may be developing an application to help move users out of iOS and onto the rival Android platform.
This prospect was first reported by Christopher Williams in The Telegraph. Apple’s ecosystem is seen as a one-way route by many in the industry, including the mobile carriers and operators.
Those in the European Union are concerned that Apple is creating a data lock-in for users that keeps them buying iPhones when they come round to upgrades. That places Apple in a very strong negotiating position because networks simply have to stock iOS devices to meet this demand.
There's less of a lock-in over the Android platform, partly because the OS is available on so many devices, but also because the open nature of the platform means that data is easier to extract by third-party applications and tools. The competition for Android devices means the carriers have a strong position to get the best deal possible from each manufacturer.
That’s not available when taking to Apple, thanks to them being the sole supplier of iOS devices, and the difficulty presented to the average user in a potential move from an Apple device to an Android device.
Arguably there’s a similar hurdle for users going the other way, but Apple has taken care of that with its Move to iOS application released in September 2014. So why would Apple, which as a vested interest in keeping users in the iOS ecosystem, offer them an app-based escape route away from iOS and back to Android?
Williams reports, via a senior industry source, that "Apple has privately agreed to develop a simple tool to help consumers shift data such as contacts, music and photos if they move to Android. Major European telecoms operators are concerned that only a tiny fraction of customers ever move off the iPhone, in part because of the technical hassle of transferring data."
This prospect was first reported by Christopher Williams in The Telegraph. Apple’s ecosystem is seen as a one-way route by many in the industry, including the mobile carriers and operators.
Those in the European Union are concerned that Apple is creating a data lock-in for users that keeps them buying iPhones when they come round to upgrades. That places Apple in a very strong negotiating position because networks simply have to stock iOS devices to meet this demand.
There's less of a lock-in over the Android platform, partly because the OS is available on so many devices, but also because the open nature of the platform means that data is easier to extract by third-party applications and tools. The competition for Android devices means the carriers have a strong position to get the best deal possible from each manufacturer.
That’s not available when taking to Apple, thanks to them being the sole supplier of iOS devices, and the difficulty presented to the average user in a potential move from an Apple device to an Android device.
Arguably there’s a similar hurdle for users going the other way, but Apple has taken care of that with its Move to iOS application released in September 2014. So why would Apple, which as a vested interest in keeping users in the iOS ecosystem, offer them an app-based escape route away from iOS and back to Android?
Williams reports, via a senior industry source, that "Apple has privately agreed to develop a simple tool to help consumers shift data such as contacts, music and photos if they move to Android. Major European telecoms operators are concerned that only a tiny fraction of customers ever move off the iPhone, in part because of the technical hassle of transferring data."
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