Apple Reportedly Moving Ahead With Ads in Maps App

[Rob07003]

Here we go… shareholders must be fed

 

[xyz01]

You do realize that the executives of a for-profit public company have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize long-term shareholder value, don't you? Leaving money on the table with no plausible business justification would invite an executive team's ouster for breach of fiduciary duty. If the board failed to act, activist investors would. The stock market would beat both the board and the activist investors to the punch, punishing the stock mercilessly to bring its price in line with the expected market return rate.

Jobs would not be horrified by what Apple is doing today on the profit front. I don't know who you think Steve Jobs was, but there was one criticism of him that was constant throughout his industry tenure: He maintained premium pricing and high profit margins, refusing to compete on price. Criticizing Apple for continuing his practice betrays a lack of knowledge of how Apple has always operated.

Apple has insane margins and massive profits today. A key difference allowing them to do this is their focus on privacy. If they choose to become another ad company, packaging you for profit, they're certainly risking their golden goose and the current incredible profit levels.

I don't inherently see Apple tracking you, measuring you, and selling you as better than Google doing the same thing.

 

[DoctorMesmer]

Entirely wrong for me in UK.

Google has roads which do not exist - and never have existed.
Google roads are very frequently some distance away from their real locations, often several metres.

My experience here in the UK is the opposite of yours. I find Apple Maps’ navigation to be embarrassingly bad and only ever use Google. And as for Siri’s navigation – well, it continues to be dire and doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

I’ve been an Apple user since the 1980s and am now seriously considering moving from iOS to Android (having used both over the years). Apple really seems to have lost its way and I don’t see it recovering.

Still, the shares are doing well…

 

[Cod3rror]

Ads are an unavoidable eventuality. Are you going to fund open source projects? No you will not.

There are two ways you will get free services:

• If you are the product
• Ads

Once every other revenue stream is maxed out, even companies like Apple will turn to ads, it's there, and capitalism demands growth.

What needs to be done is ad regulation and standards. Where they are displayed, what is displayed, how much, etc.

 

[hagjohn]

Ads are an unavoidable eventuality. Are you going to fund open source projects? No you will not.

There are two ways you will get free services:

• If you are the product
• Ads

Once every other revenue stream is maxed out, even companies like Apple will turn to ads, it's there, and capitalism demands growth.

What needs to be done is ad regulation and standards. Where they are displayed, what is displayed, how much, etc.

Apple has 55 Billion US cash in the bank. They are not hurting for money. If they keep up with this poverty act, people will stop buying products.

 

[timeislove]

This is sad. I really hope they reconsider.

They embedded years ago.

Turned on ride extension for uber. It prompts me to download AMap app.

I had to turn off ride extension to avoid its app promotion!

Same as the first poster. the premium price for iPhone should include the cost of using Apple quality native apps without seeing adv.

If fine to see adv why not to use android phones?

 

[timeislove]

Ads are an unavoidable eventuality. Are you going to fund open source projects? No you will not.

There are two ways you will get free services:

• If you are the product
• Ads

Once every other revenue stream is maxed out, even companies like Apple will turn to ads, it's there, and capitalism demands growth.

What needs to be done is ad regulation and standards. Where they are displayed, what is displayed, how much, etc.

No. The premium price of apple products should include the cost of not seeing the adv.

 

[polyphenol]

I hate ads.

But what I hate more than ads simply being visible is intrusive advertising. Like popups. Like forcing responses. Like taking you on a diversion of ad viewing. Like flashing. Like making noises. Like blocking you from doing anything until the ad lets you. All the nasty tactics they use.

However, I do sometimes snigger a little at ads which do all this but actually are a total waste for the advertiser because what is being advertised isn't even available to me.

 

[I7guy]

Apple has 55 Billion US cash in the bank. They are not hurting for money. If they keep up with this poverty act, people will stop buying products.

We have been waiting since 2011 for this to happen. They can get away with this as they know the ramifications are limited to MR posters threatened to leave Apple Maps or the ecosystem.

I kinda understand but I’m not going to threaten to not use Apple maps and use Google Maps instead (which can broadcast your location to third parties iirc) because if some ads.

 

[abracadaver]

What other map application doesn’t serve up ads? But yeah it’s not Apple, google or Waze.

My state's DOT has a map app. It's powered by Google Maps but I don't believe it has ads.