Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella responded with good humor about an eventual collaboration between the company and long-time rival Apple on the newly announced Windows 11.
The company’s new operating system brings unprecedented integration with the Android app store — thanks to a collaboration with Amazon Appstore and Intel Bridge technology. During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nadella was asked if the same would be possible with iOS. In short, he confirmed that he is open to the idea and even left a possible decision in the hands of the competitor.
“We have the ability to have multiple digital stores. We want to have a great shopping location, but we also welcome other marketplaces. We’d love to make sure it works, we do everything we can. Like anything Apple wants to do with Apple Windows, whether it’s iTunes, iMessage or whatever, that would be welcome,” says the CEO.
On the other hand, Nadella also cited a kind of guarantee that Microsoft wants to have from Apple for this to happen: confirmation that the company’s software also runs normally and in the best possible way on Apple devices.
Tension in the air
Despite the apparent good humor on the topic, iMessage integration is a sore point. Emails released in the lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games reveal that Apple has repeatedly refused to release its standard and exclusive messenger on another platform — Android — for fear of losing a familiar audience and market share.
Additionally, Microsoft itself was one of Epic Games’ biggest supporters in court, with witnesses supporting the prosecution. On the other hand, Apple has even suggested that the owner of Windows is more interested than usual in an outcome that would hurt the brand.
