In the last few weeks I've written rants here and here about Apples advertising plans. In reporting by MacRumors “Developers, customers, and critics of Apple have all voiced disapproval of the company's plans to expand its ads footprint in the App Store. Reports also suggest Apple plans to introduce ads in Apple Maps and Apple TV+.”

“A new report has revealed internal disagreement within Apple, causing some employees who work on the company's ads business to raise concerns that showing more ads to iPhone users ruins the premium experience that's been long offered to its customers.”

Koni17: “These revenue driven decisions are slowly destroying the differentiators that made iOS competitive in comparison to Android. What used to be a deciding factor for going with iOS (fewer ads and tracking, more security, etc.) is becoming a moot point. The Apple employees can only voice their concerns for so long until revenue hungry management overrules them. Sad to see Apple going in this direction.”

#Apple #iPhone #News #Opinion

A few days ago I went off on a rant about Apple showing more ads in the App Store. In reporting by MacRumors Apple plans to expand live tv advertising for the Major League Soccer deal.

Apple is now talking with advertising partners and MLS sponsors about ads that will air during the soccer games and related shows.

All three streaming tiers will have ads, including the dedicated package, paid TV+ subscriptions, and the free TV app.

Bloomberg says that ads for live TV are part of Apple’s aggressive push into advertising. Apple recently added new ads to the App Store Today tab and to individual app pages, a move that has been unpopular with developers due to some of the ad types Apple has opted to show. ​ […]

Apple is also working on a plan to add search ads to the Apple Maps app on iPhone starting next year, with these ads showing up alongside user searches for things like “gas” or “coffee.” Bloomberg says that Apple is also exploring ads for other apps and services.

MacRumors, last week, also reported that the Weather App will have an Apple News Section in iOS 16.2. This is nothing more than an ad for Apple News.

With the iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates, Apple is enhancing the Weather app through the integration of an Apple News section. Located below the 10-day forecast on iPhone, the ‌Apple News‌ module surfaces relevant regional news stories.

What the fuck! I specifically bought into Apple's ecosystem because it was a company that wasn't driven by ads. It was all about privacy and quality. Soon Apple will be no better than Google and Android. Just saying.​

Apple Is an Ad Company Now – Wired

Cusumano of MIT says Apple’s greatest challenge may be balancing its previous reputation for privacy against the data grab that digital ad businesses create. “Apple is a carefully manicured walled garden, not this advertisement-intense ecosystem like Google,” he says. Preserving that distinction while also growing ad revenue could be tricky. “Apple users are very loyal and forgiving,” says Kesler. “But if they push this to match their forecasts, I’ll be wondering whether users can overlook it.”

#Apple #iPhone #News #Opinion​

MacRumors

Starting today, developers can now advertise their apps in the App Store’s main Today tab and in a “You Might Also Like” section at the bottom of individual app listings in all countries except China. Ads are already beginning to appear in these places, and as usual, the ads have a blue background and an “Ad” icon so they can be identified.

​[…]

And with the “You Might Also Like” section, developers are now able to promote their apps at the bottom of other apps’ pages. ​ In a tweet, legal expert Florian Mueller argued the “You Might Also Like” ads are “another means of increasing the effective app tax rate, forcing developers to buy ads on their own app pages in order to avoid that others steer customers away from there.”

Look, I think what Apple is doing here is total bullshit. We pay a lot of money to use Apple products. Why should we have to see ads so they can make more money? The ads in Apple News are so obnoxious that I refuse to use the app. And what about the fucking ads I see every time I search for something in the App Store.

And Apple allowing ads in “You Might Also Like” at the bottom of another app's page is just flat-out wrong.

In the end, I guess we don’t have a choice, but it sure pisses me off!

#Opinion #Apple #iPhone

The Washington Post, Stop iPhones from spying on kids with this new app

A frightening number of kids’ apps are spying on them. Now parents can get some help to stop it.

A new app called Do Not Track Kids acts like a privacy shield for iPhones and iPads used by children. For $5 per month, it runs in the background of the device to block the companies that harvest personal information from children (and grown-ups too). It also contains cartoon lessons to teach kids about online privacy.

Do Not Track Kids was made by a dad who knows a thing or two about digital snoops: former National Security Agency researcher Patrick Jackson. Today, Jackson is the chief technology officer of Disconnect, a company that also makes privacy software used to power tracking prevention in web browsers including Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Edge.

​[…]

Do Not Track Kids works by hooking into a part of the iPhone’s operating system and literally stopping the connections apps, websites and emails make to ad companies and data brokers.

Do Not Track Kids, recently launched in the Apple App Store. My kids are adults but for those with kids at home, this app is worth checking out. ​ #iPhone #Apps #Privacy

Kev Quirk

Back in 2018 I decided I was ditching Android for an iPhone. Since then my Apple devices have continued to grow. Have I become a fanboy? I recently bought my seventh Apple device to add to my ever growing collection of iStuff. Here’s what I currently own:

This reminds me of my iCreep journey. Only mine started back in December 2014 when the keyboard on my Android went to hell. I replace it with a refurbished iPhone 6 Plus from Verizon.

Next came an iMac to replace my Windows computer. In 2015 I decided it would be nice to have so I got a MacBook Pro. I loved it so much that I finally sold the 2013 iMac.

I was never interested in an iPad but I eventually got one. It was the cheapest base model and as it turned out I never used it all that much.

Today I'm all in with Apple devices.

• iPhone 11
• M1 iMac
• iPad Air
• Magic Keyboard for iPad
• Apple Pencil
• Apple Watch
• Air Pods Pro

I wouldn't call myself a “fanboy” but I love my Apple products.

The post “iCreep” appeared first on ldstephens.net.

#Apple #iPhone #iPad #Mac

Nicolas Magand:

Last Friday, I went to the Apple Store here in Strasbourg and replaced the battery on my soon to be 3-year-old iPhone 11.

[…]

Replacing the battery also pushes me to commit at least one more year to my iPhone 11. I won’t replace my phone this year with one of the new iPhone 14, as my current phone from 2019 still works fine and I know that thanks to this brand new battery the fourth year of use will not be a pain.

This is excellent advice for most iPhone users, including me. I also use an iPhone 11. It functions perfectly and I love it. But I have noticed that the battery isn’t lasting quite as long as it used to. So checked the battery health and it’s at 87%. In my mind, that’s still pretty damn good.

I’ve been getting the itch for a new iPhone. Nicolas has reminded me that I don’t need one. I may need to replace the battery soon, but that is certainly far cheaper than a new iPhone.

#iPhone

1. Finally! Apple Mail app on Mac, iPhone, and iPad is getting Undo Send, schedule emails and reminders (snooze) to follow-up.

2. Finally! iPadOS 16 Finder will have the ability to view folder size and extension, and the ability to change a files extensions.

3. iOS 16 will push standalone security updates to iOS 16 devices between standard software updates.

#Apple #iPhone #iPad #Mac

Mark Gurman: “Apple Inc. is working on a subscription service for the iPhone and other hardware products, a move that could make device ownership similar to paying a monthly app fee, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The service would be Apple’s biggest push yet into automatically recurring sales, allowing users to subscribe to hardware for the first time — rather than just digital services. But the project is still in development, said the people, who asked not to identified because the initiative hasn’t been announced.”

This whole idea of owning nothing and making payments on everything you own in perpetuity is bullshit. I want to own my hardware, not rent it. I hope there will continue to be a cash option if this actually happens.

#Apple #iPhone #Rumor

Ming-Chi Kuo

According to Apple's rules for naming iPhones, the four new 2H22 iPhones could be called iPhone 14 (6.1”), iPhone 14 Max (6.7”), iPhone 14 Pro (6.1”), and iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7”).

Only two Pro models would upgrade to the A16 processor, while the 14 & 14 Max will remain the A15. All four new models will likely come with 6GB RAM, with the difference being LPDDR 5 (14 Pro & 14 Pro Max) vs. LPDDR 4X (14 & 14 Max). https://t.co/tHcszIz6gX

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 13, 2022

John Gruber

​If Kuo is correct, starting next year, Pro and non-Pro iPhones will be differentiated by their chip performance, too, and I would expect that to remain the case year after year. That makes sense to me — it’s true for Apple’s “Pro” models in the MacBook and iPad lineups.

If this rumor is true, why wouldn’t most users opt for an iPhone 13 for less money? I sure would.

#Rumor #Linked #Apple #iPhone

Check this video out for a quick review of everything that Apple announced today.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 2:06 pm PST by Juli Clover

Today's “Peek Performance” event was more exciting than we initially thought it would be, with Apple debuting a new Mac Studio machine and Studio Display alongside a 5G version of the iPhone SE with A15 chip and an M1 iPad Air with 5G chip.

#Apple #Mac #iPhone