Apple apparently came quite close to releasing the Apple Watch for Android but canned the project over concerns that it would “dilute the value” for the iPhone.
The details come from Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman, who recently outlined Apple’s broad plans to revolutionize health. It’s an interesting read if you want to learn about the iPhone maker’s various secretive forays into health technology. However, the main tidbit we’re interested in here is the revelation of ‘Project Fennel,’ an effort to bring the Apple Watch to Android.
Fennel would have seen the Apple Watch and Apple’s Health app made available on Android, dramatically increasing the reach of the company’s health technology. Per Gurman, it seems like part of the goal was to provide access to the smartwatch and Health app in places where Apple doesn’t have a lot of market share.
Project Fennel reportedly was almost finished when Apple ultimately pulled the plug over concerns about the impact on iPhone sales. A source familiar with the plan told Gurman that, “If you gave up the watch to Android, you would dilute the value of the watch to the iPhone.”
That sounds like a decidedly Apple move. The company used a similar strategy with its iMessage platform, deciding to keep it exclusive to Apple devices as a way to push iPhone sales. It’s a tactic that’s still in force today, with CEO Tim Cook telling someone to buy their mom an iPhone so she could see videos sent to her.
Imagining a world where the Apple Watch is available for Android is certainly an interesting exercise. I’d like to think that it would push Google and Android phone makers to develop better smartwatches to compete with Apple’s offerings.
You can read all about Apple’s health efforts here.
Source: Bloomberg Via: Android Authority
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