Thread

Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy

822 points · 601 comments · MC995

AnonC · 1790088825 · focus · HN ↗
I doubt John Ternus will change direction anytime soon, since it will look like he’s reversing the plethora of eyesore ads that Tim Cook added over his tenure.
But the Apple with ads is not the Apple that had some taste and discernment in the past. For a long time I’ve visited the App Store’s app update page directly (tap and hold on App Store icon to see the context menu option). Anytime I inadvertently go to the App Store home page or the few times I search, it’s an ad filled disaster!
From this article
> repeatedly attempting to prod customers towards even more of the company’s products might seem cheap, even distasteful.
From a recent post by John Gruber:
> Steve Jobs in 2011: 'We Build Products That We Want for Ourselves, Too, and We Just Don't Want Ads' [1]
Looks like Tim Cook, John Ternus and Eddy Cue really enjoy being swamped with ads in their products. Will there soon be a time when Apple executives start carrying some other brand’s devices with them to avoid having a rotten experience?
[1]: We don’t want ads <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/07/28/jobs-we-dont-want-ads" rel="nofollow">https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/07/28/jobs-we-dont-wa...
1. rapind · 1790089281 · focus · HN ↗
  Imagine spending $2k on a phone only to be presented with ads. Quick way to lose your luxury and loyal customers IMO.
  On the flip side, imagine having another product made for people who can afford $2k phones... Well you'd probably pay a lot to advertise to that market.
  I think trying to balance between these 2 is going to be tough, and your luxury market could evaporate if a significant competitor came along. And by competitor, we're probably just talking about AI in your pocket or on your face that replaces the traditional phone interface. I also think it's a real slippery slope to short term profits once you start taking ad revenue.
  1. cousinbryce · 1790089721 · focus · HN ↗
    Where would the luxury market go? Asking for a friend
    Cider9986 · 1790092059 · focus · HN ↗
    GrapheneOS with FOSS apps is a premium experience but not where non - technical users will go currently because of the setup. Once setup it's very premium.
    Motorola really seems to be going for a luxury look [1] and there will be Motorola devices with GrapheneOS installed out of the box.
    [1] <a href="https://nitter.miningtcup.me/Moto/status/2102040650606891119#m" rel="nofollow">https://nitter.miningtcup.me/Moto/status/2102040650606891119...
    <a href="https://nitter.miningtcup.me/Moto/status/2100933254249627806#m" rel="nofollow">https://nitter.miningtcup.me/Moto/status/2100933254249627806...
    Pantone and some sound partnership.
    armadyl · 1790095960 · focus · HN ↗
    As someone who has daily driven both side by side as much as I love GOS, AOSP / Android absolutely does not feel premium compared to iOS. Both the UI and UX are rough compared to the polish of iOS. And the FOSS apps on Android are extremely subpar in terms of feel compared to iOS (off the top of my head look at how bad the Fossify Contacts app is compared to Google Contacts) but that’s the trade-off.
    I also don’t think there will be Motorola devices with GOS out of the box, they’re just meeting the requirements to be able install it.
    cyberax · 1790097345 · focus · HN ↗
    iOS? "Polish"?
    Even AOSP is head-and-shoulders better than iOS.
    armadyl · 1790097444 · focus · HN ↗
    It is subjective, to me AOSP just feels extremely rough and undercooked in a lot of places
    cyberax · 1790101622 · focus · HN ↗
    Try disabling animations in AOSP and see how it feels. You won't be able to go to the painfully slow iOS afterwards.
    duskdozer · 1790158015 · focus · HN ↗
    When I see "polish" they're usually referring to the opposite of things like this. They seem to like sluggish UI as long as it's "smooth" (not "fast") and has flashy animations.

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