It’s rare Apple develops software for rival platforms, but if there’s money to be made, it simply has to swallow its pride and get it done. That’s exactly what it will happen with its new Beats Music service, which will be available on Android as well as its own iOS, according to a new report.
Apple hasn’t done much with Beats since its $3 billion acquisition last May, but that doesn’t mean big things aren’t in the pipeline. According to 9to5Mac, the company is hard at work on a major overhaul of its music service, which will compete directly with rivals like Spotify and Rdio.
“Yet to be named, the new service is entirely Apple-designed, yet leverages Beats’ technologies and music content,” writes Mark Gurman. It will be heavily focused on cloud streaming, so in addition to playing songs stored locally, it will also access those stored online.
If you want to listen to music you don’t already own, there will also be a paid streaming service, Gurman says. Like with Spotify, users will be able to subscribe monthly, and pricing is thought to be around $7.99 — $2 cheaper than Spotify, Rdio, and Google Play Music.
The service is expected to be tightly integrated into Apple’s own iOS, OS X, and even Apple TV platforms — not just another downloadable app — but it won’t be exclusive to Apple devices. In order to open it up to as many customers as possible, Apple is also said to be developing an Android app.
Beats Music is already available on Android, but many assumed it would eventually be killed. However, a replacement app is reportedly being built by an in-house Apple team.
As Tim Cook said in 2013, “if we thought it made sense to [develop apps for Android], we would do that.” Clearly, it makes a lot of sense in this case; after spending $3 billion on Beats, Apple will be looking to make as much as it can from it, so opening it up to other platforms is a good idea.
Unfortunately for Windows Phone users, however, Apple isn’t expected to continue offering Beats on their platform.
It’s unclear when Apple’s new music service will be available, but sources for 9to5Mac say an unveiling at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference this June is a “real possibility.”
[via 9to5Mac]