Why Apple Doesn't have a Social Media Platform
Have you ever wondered why Apple has no presence on the internet so far?
No search engine, social media platform — Absolutely nothing but their website. Ever questioned, why?
Apple’s Forgotten Social Media Platform
If you are an OG or an Apple enthusiast, you would remember Apple launched a social media platform for iTunes users but had to shut it down because it was unsuccessful.
That was the only shot Apple has taken so far with the social media world. If you are asking me if they would try this space again? Probably not!
Before I explain why. Let us cover a small history of Apple that would help us picture better why Apple would never create a social media platform.
iTunes Ping launched in the year 2010 as a social media for music, Apple hoped to work alongside Facebook, but we guess there’s a natural friction between the two for a long time now.
However, Apple proceeded ahead to develop and launch without the help of Facebook but failed to pull this off, and eventually, they shut it down in 2yrs after it first launched, and it turned out for their betterment in the long run.
Social media is a recent phenomenon, nobody knew its dangers, the technology was new and innocent, unsure how it could be used and misused, the business model and the price of our data. I mean, so many things were unclear when it was launched.
After 12 years since Facebook’s launch, the workings of social media, and the business model of this industry is a vastly known topic today.
It’s hard to imagine who would have been advocating for privacy if Apple would have been in this business too?
No denying that Apple sticking to hardware makes them freely and openly advocate for privacy and question bad ethics practiced by other social media platforms.
If Apple was on the same boat (finding a future in social media and advertisement) as others, it would have been very hard for them to drop their platform Ping, if it was a successful business. Big “IF,” FYI.
Like most companies in the world, Apple is listed on the stock market, falling stock prices equal to bad performance. Therefore, the Apple we see today would have been different if Ping was successful.
Now, Let me talk a little about Apple’s total presence on the web to show and emphasize how absent they’ve been so far.
Apple Search Engine?
Google, Yahoo, Duckduck GO, I mean Microsoft has their own search engine — Bing!
Why did Apple never make one yet?
The reasons are unknown, but rumors are Apple is working on one now.
There is a slight worry, though. While Google has 80% of the search market, how will Apple succeed?
Many websites, blog sites, news media are popularly optimizing their content for Google. While Apple has its name to flex, how does it expect everyone to optimize and give preference to Apple’s search engine?
Apple’s iPhone is popular because of the human interaction with the hardware and the seamless and rich experience the interaction provides. A search engine is just a search engine!
Google’s search engine is already basic and seamless.
How Apple plans to gain this side of the business can be only said by time.
One thing is apparent though, Apple is building the search engine to improve Siri.
While Apple is presently being criticized for not being innovative. In reality, Apple is hard at pushing the innovation bar and trying to provide the sci-fi future we always have seen in movies.
Since VR, AR, and voice interactions are the future, Apple might be building the search engine to improve Siri in all the ways it can.
When I said “improve,” they’ll just get the query and not the identity who queried on their search platform, since it is their principle that they have been following for several years, to get information with no identity — that too, only if you have agreed to anonymously provide your information to Apple.
Reasons Why Apple Doesn’t have a Social Media Platform
That’s something you have been waiting for so long, right!?
The torchbearer of PRIVACY knows now how dangerous this market is — not only because of Facebook or its practices.
Social media is amongst the most unfortunate invention. As we all know, social media could be toxic, promote insecurity, hard to regulate, and is addictive.
Let us now discuss the main reason why Apple will never try the Social media space again.
- Law! Apple would have to comply with the law enforcement of every nation if it needs to run a business, we all know the San Bernardino case, how Apple refused to budge down to FBI, but in late 2019, Apple silently let a backdoor for any law agency to access iCloud. While the iPhone is hard to break in, iCloud isn’t!
- Apple could have granted security to iCloud as well, but the shackles on their hands are hard to break if they need to stay alive and operating.
- If Apple ever made a social media and the law enforcement agency requests them to hand over an individual’s data — Apple has to abide by their request.
- If the information is leaked to the media or journalists on how Apple is providing “data” to the law enforcement agencies, there is going to be a huge uproar and backlash — the image Apple could never heal from.
Back in the year 2012, Apple was named as a participant of the PRISM project (Government surveillance).
Though they denied their participation, it still makes one doubt their (Apple) ethics when it comes to the government and law agencies and their surveillance requests, as they (Apple) have done quite shady stuff in the past, upon requests from law agencies.
To avoid further trouble, Apple will most likely never make a social media platform, as they might have to provide anything and everything to the law agencies upon their request and could risk them a bad PR for life.
