Apple is reportedly mulling the possibility of launching an iTunes store for Android, as well as an on-demand music streaming service.
According to a new report, Apple is seeing declining music sales and is considering its options to fight this decline.
The news comes from Billboard, which claims that Apple is considering launching an iTunes store for Android users. The same report also reveals that Apple execs are currently in talks with record label executives, discussing the possibility of launching an on-demand streaming service.
"Apple has opened exploratory talks with senior label executives about the possibility of launching an on-demand streaming service that would rival Spotify and Beats Music, according to three people familiar with the talks," Billboard reports. "Apple is also thinking about adding an iTunes App for Android phones, the Google rival that has been growing faster than the iPhone, these sources said. The surprising discussions are part of a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the double-digit decline in U.S. download sales at Apple's iTunes Music Store, the largest music retailer."
Launching such an on-demand streaming service could make iTunes more similar, as well as far more competitive compared to platforms such as Spotify, which enjoy great success among consumers. On-demand music streaming services have grown in popularity in recent years and continue to be on the rise.
When it comes to the iTunes for Android option, this would mark a change of heart from Apple if it proves to be true. The iTunes Store is currently available on Apple's OS X and iOS, as well as Microsoft's Windows platform. Back in 2011, however, when Steve Jobs was asked whether his company would bring iTunes to Android as well, the late Apple CEO said that he doesn't see any benefit from such a move.
At the time, Jobs said that Apple launched iTunes on Windows in order to sell more iPods. Launching iTunes on Android, meanwhile, would only benefit Android users, and Jobs certainly had no interest in making Android users happy.
This apparently took a new turn in the meantime, and it now seems that Apple is no longer so firm in its position to skip Android when it comes to the availability of its iTunes. Nothing is confirmed at this point and the report only mentions discussions, but it seems that now there is a possibility.
