I don't get these kinds of decisions. Do the execs that make them not use these services?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I never use them any more.
In UK/Europe, both Google and Apple's street view data tends to be very old and out of date or just entirely missing. I mean for example the last two AirBnB properties I used both had instructions not to use them because they were wrong. Also when I went to look at a house to buy a couple of years back, the street view was for the wrong street!
Apple execs presumably feel that the showing of ads on Maps won't meaningfully impact device sales, usage, etc. and will help generate additional revenue and profits for the company.
I imagine Apple will continue to do things like this as long as sales (2021 to 2024 were best global iPhone sales years ever according to reported estimates) and usage (still at record levels) remain strong enough. The reality is that many people are willing to tolerate ads if it means being able to use a product/service for free or at a reduced price.
iPhone 16 Pro Max 256 GB: $1199
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 256 GB: $1299.
And this doesn’t even start towards the Foldables, which cost around $2000, quite a bit more than any phone Apple is offering.
The “Apple Tax” is really only a thing if you’re looking at the cheapest of the cheapest.
Of course, iPads are going to look expensive next to Amazon basics and Walmart tablets, but put it up next to the $500 pixel tablet or the thousand dollar galaxy tab and… literally, the prices are basically the same, if not identical.
Edit: quoted the wrong person, my apologies.
Last edited:
The apple tax includes the apple greed, zero pre order bonuses (samsung had double storage), zero sales (unless you lie and use the .edu discount)
Not really because I can go to Best Buy and get Apple products for several hundred dollars off, same with Amazon.
If your entire argument relies on the fact that Apple doesn’t offer pre-order sales…
Most people don’t pre-order their phones, and from carriers as far as I can tell the exact same deals that come with the Galaxy are also available with the iPhone. Trade-ins, credits, etc.
Apple chooses to rely mostly on others (carriers, authorized resellers) to do the discounting instead. One doesn't have to buy directly from Apple. Various Apple products can be available at authorized resellers for even less than education store prices.
Yeah. Buy Apple products if you want or don’t buy apple products if you don’t want. Last quarter was a record for apple. People voted with their $$$.
cash reserves.
Is Apple buying back stocks indefinitely like how Apple is indefinitely funding Apple Maps?
That just proves Apple needs to expand the budget so they can provide a more up to date/better service.
Samsung doesn't even spend money on Maps or developing major Android updates. They take what google made for free and incorporate it into their products. Doesn't even provide their own RCS servers, they piggy back off of Google. Same goes for Google Play notification services and etc...
Apple pays for their own map development, OS update dev, iMessage servers with RCS support, notifications, has more physical Genius Bar locations that you can use for free, etc...
Apple has higher expenses than Samsung. Especially true when Samsung produces many parts for Apple.
No reason to show us ads, other than greed. So much for a premium priced product with premium features and premium user experience. Shame
you mean how Google didn't want Apple to have turn by turn navigations and demanded to add Google social features into the built in Maps app? https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/a...le-maps-over-lack-of-turn-by-turn-navigation/
nah
But apple is buying back stocks instead of improving their services like apple maps and trying to get money to improve apple maps by selling ads
Yeah. Maybe something that should be accelerated. Buy the stocks and get them off the street and then start development.
Apple Maps is part of the ecosystem that I am paying extra for.
It’s all in how you assign expenditures vs profits.
When Apple buys back shares, they aren't losing money. There is no direct loss of value. They actually can gain value when the stock price appreciates, issue more shares in the future, sell it, and then increase funding to Apple Maps.
"We managed quite happily before."
I assume before means before Apple Maps which is directly related, unless you have some other meaning.
We had other map companies. For example Here Maps was better than both Google and Apple Maps at the time.
iPhone is the most profitable phone on the market.
Maps is part of iPhone ecosystem and one of the features that set it apart and help with promoting the ecosystem.
You keep separating Apple Maps from the overall iPhone ecosystem as if it was a standalone product that had to make business case all by itself. But it isn’t. It’s no different from Mail or Calendar or Reminders.
The valid question would be “does iOS need its own map application”. Is the answer is “yes” then Apple should invest enough into it to make it a product people want to use. The cost of it is rolled into the cost of iOS which is part of the costs of manufacturing, marketing and supporting iPhones. If the answer is “no” then they should kill it. If they are trying to make it a subscription service, people will simply switch to Google Maps.
Apple can market Apple Music as a subscription service because all competition is also subscription based.
It won’t work with Maps - not only is the biggest competitor free, it’s also better.