side. But there’s nobody just focused on Apple as a platform. Depending on the customer we’re talking to and what type of Apple devices they’re using, the competitor changes on a daily basis.
X: Google parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) recently announced plans to combine Android and Chrome into a single operating system across computers, tablets, and smartphones. If Apple were to combine its two operating systems, would that make life easier for JAMF?
ZH: Not really, no. Apple has an operating system built from ground up to be used on computers and another operating system built from the ground up to be 100 percent touch interface. They are two very different things, and I don’t see a compelling reason to [combine them].
X: One Jobs tenet was that Apple should maintain end-to-end control over its devices, which means integrating hardware and software. Does that simplify things for JAMF’s purposes?
ZH: Absolutely. When you look at the number of form factors we support on the mobile side, it’s very small. We have a couple sizes of iPhones and a couple sizes of iPads. When you look at the number of screen sizes an Android developer has to support, the number I usually hear is between 270 and 350. It’s insane. The amount of time that, in my mind, is completely wasted on things like that is incredible.
X: What’s next for Apple? Do you think they’ll ever make a television?
ZH: I have no idea if they’ll do that. I don’t know if they have reasons to do it. If they have ways they think they can make the experience better by doing that, then yes. They will never go into something just to do it. They’re only going to do something if they can really make it better and create a unique experience for people.
X: Besides living rooms, another part of the house some observers believe Apple has set its sights on is the garage. Do you think we’ll see an iCar for sale anytime soon?
ZH: It’s really interesting to see what’s going on there. I drive a Tesla and it’s amazing to see a company take a very software-centric approach to a car. They’ve had two software updates since I bought my car that have made it faster. What Tesla (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSLA]]) has proven is that they can make a car that is completely different from how traditional cars are built. And the things that are making Tesla successful are the same things that make Apple successful as a company. So yeah, I think it’s a spot where Apple could do incredibly cool things if they choose to fully go into it.
