@numericcitizen How come you don’t use services like Adguard or DNS blockers like Pi-Hole that get rid of ads? 🤔
@joshzepeda I use NextDNS, and some ads blocker extensions, yes! 😎
@numericcitizen They have very silently been testing the waters of what they can get away with for years. A few years ago they hired Facebook's former ads manager, then had to fire him due to the backlash given some of his opinions (https://www.macworld.com/article/346432/apple-hires-then-fires-controversial-ex-facebook-employee.html)
Earlier this year I wrote around their decision to put betting odds in their new Sports app; yet another small step in possibly seeing what's acceptable in terms of potential revenue streams later on:
"I feel over the next few years, Apple’s brand value of being a consumer champion will be tested as the investor pressure for increased growth is applied and Apple’s existing hardware divisions stagnate.
I don’t trust Apple and their products because I feel they want what’s best for me personally; I choose them because they have the most to lose if they break the trust attached to their brand.
As they need to get more into the services game to increase revenue; that customer-first trust built into the brand will start to evaporate as clear plays to extract more money from customer base come into play."
@andrewmelder thanks for your comment... well this is a bit sad.... as a long-time Apple users and consumer, I don't see a viable alternative that fits my values and needs.