Someone call Tim Cook because I have a fantastic idea that will erase all of the hate Apple is getting right now. Advertising is coming to WhatsApp, the most widely used instant messaging app in South Africa. This is another step in Facebook’s relentless march to the gates of hell. I don’t care that the ads will be placed in the status area of the app where I never go. It matters to me because Facebook sells data and now data is being collected on what was said to be a secure messaging app.
Actually, it’s really not about that either. I’m just tired of everything being turned into an advertising opportunity. One of the reasons I launched this platform was to be completely out of the pocket of advertisers. Now the ad spend is going to where I communicate with people I care about. The erosion is slow, but I hate the society that my children are growing up in. Every corner is an invasive store trying to get them to part with money.
I don’t mind paying for services that add value to my life. And that’s the heart of my pitch to Mr Cook. Why not bundle iMessage into an Apple Music subscription? My wife actually alerted me to the problem with making iMessage universal: you need an Apple ID to use Apple services.
Apple Music requires you to create an Apple ID, so then allowing you to use the ubiquitous messaging service should be a theoretical flip of a switch. It’s a gross oversimplification and a healthy dose of naivety on my part, but that would be an ideal situation for me. You still get the flexibility and supreme capability of the Android platform and its associated hardware and all of the Apple smugness.
Apple will gain exponential growth in Apple Music subscribers, finally wiping the smirk off of Spotify’s face. Plus the planet will be better off for it since all the iMessage servers run on 100% renewables now.
Do it, Tim. flip the switch.
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