Microsoft says it would love to work with Apple to bring iMessage support to Win

[mcphage]

I'm sure Microsoft would also love to work with Nintendo to bring Mario and Zelda to Windows as well.

[satysin]

I am surprised Apple have not extended iMessage to a web interface that relies on the iPhone iMessage app to do all the work in the same way that WhatsApp Web works.

You don't lose E2EE, you keep the requirement of having an iPhone, etc.

Sure they have the macOS desktop iMessage app but a web interface would be great for iPhone owners who don't use macOS of which there are many.

They could easily wrap such a web service up in Electron just like WhatsApp does for their Windows Store desktop app.

I guess Apple relying on Electron isn't likely to happen but there is no reason they couldn't over-engineer it with their own embedded browser solution.

They already have the technology as it is used for iTunes on Windows (which, interestingly, is now available in the Windows Store via Desktop Bridge).

[kitsunesoba]

Apple using Electron is extremely unlikely. They’re more likely to port iMessage to Windows with the Windows port of the Objective-C runtime + Cocoa + Foundation (a sort of modernized YellowBox[1]) they used to port iTunes and previously Safari to Windows.

The browser used in the Windows version of iTunes is WebKit, not Chromium.

1: http://www.shawcomputing.net/resources/apple/os_pictures/ybn...

[r00fus]

Security is one reason they stay away from web access.

If you read through Apple's security white papers it's pretty clear that iMessage security would be gravely impacted by the attack surface that comes with web access.

[r32a_]

It will never happen, iMessage is one of the network effects of Apple/iPhone ecosystem.

[Spooky23]

I wouldn’t so sure. Microsoft owns enterprise, Apple owns enterprise mobility.

Microsoft needs a partner on mobile, Apple needs a partner for AI and services.

[ergomarky]

This would still encourage people to buy iPhones though, it's just a bridge between Your Phone (the app on Windows in question) and your iPhone so you can reply to (i)Messages on windows as you do a Mac.

Don't really see why they would be vehemently against this.

[booleandilemma]

Couldn’t you say the same about Microsoft Office? And yet it’s on Apple computers.

[blackflame7000]

There's no way I would buy a mac for iMessage, but I would be inclined to use iMessage on my windows PC. This seems like a net positive for Apple

[dilap]

so dumb though. though could own messaging, which would be way more valuable than whatever tiny bump it's giving to the iphone.

[wilsonnb]

Yeah I see no reason why Apple would want to do that. Which is probably why Microsoft said they would like to do it.

[dzonga]

Personally I find WhatsApp having a better UX than iMessage. now the worry is about data being siphoned by Zucker zucker. I can hardly search for an old text on iMessage on mac or iPhone. have stopped using it entirely.

[abritinthebay]

What are you talking about? It has search built in - I can and do regularly search for stuff from years ago.

[Improvotter]

However much I'd like this to happen, it'll never ever happen.

[platinumrad]

Do yourself a favor and skip the comment section or you'll see where the "technologically illiterate yet happy to pontificate apple fanboy" stereotype comes.

[solarkraft]

except this is more about politics than technology

[ericzawo]

I know it won't ever happen, but releasing it would really help reframe Apple's increasingly more obvious unfair shake it gives its customers.

[jacksmith21006]

Never happen.

[dawnerd]

Didn't stop them from bringing itunes or icloud. I've just found it weird apple hasn't had a web version at least.

[bitwize]

Well, Apple has a port of all of OS X above the Unix layer to NT lying around somewhere. iMessage should be a relative doddle to bring to Windows.

[phs318u]

Are you referring to Yellow Box and Rhapsody?

http://roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/4B800F78-0F75-45...

[alexkavon]

This isn't a big deal really. However Microsoft wants the real secret sauce. They either want A: Apple to build a client in Windows with C#. Or possibly B: wants to able to allow swift compilation on Windows thus opening the door wide open for app ecosystem. You think probably not but then again WSL.

[dpark]

Microsoft has literally tens of thousands of engineers capable of building the client for Windows if Apple will let them. I am certain that no one on this integration project cares whether Apple actually does the work, only whether they allow it.

Disclosure: Microsoft employee, but nowhere near this group.