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Im not sure i like this idea.... how can an indie dev hope to get discovered now when all the top spots will be paid for :(
 
This makes me sad as its another symptom of the culture change still ongoing at Apple. I will stop short of "Steve would never have allowed this" but Apple was always about trying to create the best products it could. It should, therefore, try to create the best App Store it can, not simply allow the big boys to buy popularity and squash the little guys.
 
This is unbelievable. Paid search results? This is not benefits costumer an any way. Google can go away with it just because they're licensing Android for free and relatively low prices for Android phones. Paid search results would cement discoverability problems already hugely present in the App Store. The amount of money Apple would get for this is laughable for the company it's size. This is just terrible idea all around.
 
Maybe Apple should kick that app team out since the app store had been acting like a highway robbery.
"most demanding game......$29.99"
I'll rather siri find me a game.
"hey siri...i like this certain type of games from certain company and hopefully free or cheap."
Siri: "here is the game that you like...-beep-"
 
Let's hope this doesn't kill the indy developers...

Oh but I think it will. Indy devs don't have the money like big corporate developers do to be able to pay big bucks to ensure their apps get seen. That's common sense. This is purely another money grab for Apple. The big names on top now will stay on top. This won't change anything other than another way for Apple to milk the cow for more milk. They got that new campus to pay for in the mist of their slumping sales remember?
 
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Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. If paid search results were to actually happen, Apple might as well start putting banner ads in all their stock apps and make them freemium. I mean, it's basically just as tasteless and tacky.
 
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Simple Definition of secret
  • : kept hidden from others : known to only a few people

  • : keeping information hidden from others
 
Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. If paid search results were to actually happen, Apple might as well start putting banner ads in all their stock apps and make them freemium. I mean, it's basically just as tasteless and tacky.

Let's wait and see before overreacting to a rumor. I'm sure whatever Apple chooses to do, it will be tastefully implemented with some benefits shared among everyone.
 
I really don't like this whether it's Apple's App Store and Google Play Store. I want to be able to sort the results by relevance, upload date, rating, etc.
 
This is unbelievable. Paid search results? This is not benefits costumer an any way.

Except for the zillions of consumers who prefer to search on Google or use other free Google stuff (maps, etc. which are mostly paid for by paid search results, not by the user).

It should show most popular at the top

The spots at the top of the popular app charts are already almost totally occupied by companies that pay for that popularity placement in indirect ways, like big marketing budgets, promotions, and TV ads, etc. Why shouldn't Apple get the money instead of CBS, ABC, Google, AcmeAdBlasterCompany, et.al?

What would be interesting is if Apple makes pay-for-placement a lot cheaper for new high-quality indie apps, than for big companies with apps already at the top of the charts due to big marketing budgets.
 
Let's wait and see before overreacting to a rumor. I'm sure whatever Apple chooses to do, it will be tastefully implemented with some benefits shared among everyone.
Of course we'll wait to see actual implementation and it's results, but this is not why we are paying premium for Apple products. Search should give most relevant results, and relevancy isn't correlated in any way with amount of money developer can pay.
 
apple is rich enough. they're starting to get greedy.

Couldn't disagree more. As a dev I'd happily bid on keywords to have my app shown to users rather than requiring them search for the perfect keyword combination to find my apps. As a little guy it'd give me a chance at being seen.
 
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Hey maybe you'll be able to pay to have a search on the exact name of your app return your app instead of a more popular competitor!
 
I'm kind of hoping someone inside Apple intentionally leaked this to get enough people upset and hopefully the team inside Apple to think of plan B, like better search algorithm.

Couldn't disagree more. As a dev I'd happily bid on keywords to have my app shown to users rather than requiring them search for the perfect keyword combination to find my apps. As a little guy it'd give me a chance at being seen.

Why should you have to pay for something that Apple should just be doing? I don't want to curation based on who has money to bid on keywords. Next thing you know Siri and proactive results will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
 
What would be interesting is if Apple makes pay-for-placement a lot cheaper for new high-quality indie apps, than for big companies with apps already at the top of the charts due to big marketing budgets.
But how would they determine the quality of the app? Who will decide? New app isn't equal good app. They just need to promote new and regularly updated apps free. And benefit by more sales for good apps, not by advertisement.
 
Not anywhere necessarily. They may just decide to use their talents on something else entirely rather than apps.
I doubt if people are making good money on iOS they will leave. Especially devs who have a lot of time and money invested
 
Why should you have to pay for something that Apple should just be doing? I don't want to curation based on who has money to bid on keywords. Next thing you know Siri and proactive results will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Exactly. Apple should do this for free, it's in their direct interest to make ecosystem shine.
 
Let's wait and see before overreacting to a rumor. I'm sure whatever Apple chooses to do, it will be tastefully implemented with some benefits shared among everyone.
That's why I said *if* it happens. I have hope that this is just a bit of bad information. But if it does... to me, there is no tasteful way to implement this. There is absolutely no benefit to seeing "sponsored" apps- paying extra money to Apple doesn't demonstrate that an app is better or more worth my time. It does, however, unfairly push down other apps that may actually be worth my time.

If "big marketing budget" was a quality that I desired from an app, I would search Google instead of the App Store.
 
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