At the Wall Street JournalAt the Tech Live event, Apple’s Craig Federighi Greg Joswiak spoke on a wide variety of topics, including USB-C on iPhone, why iPadOS still doesn’t have a calculator app, iMessage on Android, and more.
The EU is forcing all consumer electronic devices, including the “iPhone” and AirPods, to move to USB-C by the end of 2024. The new rule directly affects Apple, which still uses the Lightning connector on the “iPhone” and AirPod models. Joswiak, aka Joz, said today at the event that Apple will have to “abide” by the new rule, indirectly confirming that the “iPhone” will switch to USB-C in the future. Reports suggest Apple is testing USB-C on iPhone 15 models, which will hit the market next fall.
Federighi and Joz talked about the pace of innovation on the “iPhone,” including whether smartphones have become dull and whether the “iPhone” needs an update every year. “People are really excited about the new iPhones,” said Joz, referring to new features on the iPhone 14 Pro, including the new 48MP camera and Dynamic Island. “We always have a lot of stuff to take out,” said Federighi. “We’ve been working on things for years and years and there’s a pipeline of things that we think will help our customers better.”
On why iPadOS still doesn’t have a native calculator app, Joz said, “there are a bunch of them. Go to the App Store.” “I use third-party apps,” he continued when pressed by the Wall Street JournalJoanna Stern’s on what the two executives do when they want to calculate something on their iPad.
Federighi and Joz were also asked about the lack of iMessage on Android and Apple’s rationale for keeping iMessage exclusive to Apple devices. Federighi was asked about an email he sent in 2013, in which he said, “I’m afraid iMessage on Android would only serve to [an] obstacle for “iPhone” families giving their children Android phones.”
“I am not aware of the shipment,” Federighi said jokingly in response to the question. “If we want to enter a market and start building an application, we have to be in it in a way that’s going to make a difference, that we’re going to have a lot of customers and a great experience,” Federighi said, implying that Apple doesn’t think iMessage is on the market. Android would make a difference, have a lot of users or be a great experience.
“If we had just released an app that really didn’t gain critical mass on other platforms, it would have stopped us from innovating in all the ways we want to innovate in messaging for our customers and wouldn’t have accomplished much otherwise” , explains Federighi. iMessage on Android seemed like a “throwaway item” that “wouldn’t serve the world,” he concluded.
During their interview, Federighi and Joz also discussed Apple’s move to Apple silicon on the Mac, Apple’s stance on privacy and Apple’s return to personal work, and the controversy surrounding it. The full 35-minute interview can be viewed at a live stream repeat on the Wall Street Journal‘s Twitter account.