Apple is considering introducing ads in its “Map” app. The move is aimed at improving profitability, but it is expected to cause consumer backlash as more advertisements are being made in the app store and other services. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Apple is seeking to add ads to its iOS map search function starting next year. If advertisers pay for it, chances are high that it will be at the top of search results or even more noticeable on the map. The update is likely to be made next spring.
This feature has already been introduced to competitive services such as Google Maps. Google is generating revenue by exposing its franchise stores to advertisers when they search for “restaurants” on the map. “Apple Maps ads are expected to provide better user experience than Google and other companies by utilizing artificial intelligence,” Bloomberg said.
However, users are strongly opposed to the idea of seeing additional ads on the device. Apple is already putting ads in apps such as app store search and news. In fact, Samsung Electronics also introduced advertisements in apps such as Samsung Pay, Health, and Weather built into Galaxy smartphones in the early 2020s, but soon removed them due to consumer opposition. Bloomberg pointed out, “The biggest risk facing Apple is potential consumer opposition,” adding, “Some consumers regard the iPhone, which costs up to $2,000, as an ‘inappropriate moneymaking’.”
Apple is agonizing over profitability inventory to compensate for rising costs while improving factors that were criticized for hurting usability through excessive cost cuts. A case in point is the application of a cooling vapor chamber (vapor chamber) to the iPhone 17 Pro for the first time, while replacing the expensive titanium exterior with aluminum. “Other companies have already introduced the vapor chamber, but Apple will promote it as a breakthrough technological advancement and use it as a core sales strategy,” Bloomberg said on the day.
It has developed a new “dual knit” band that provides a comfortable fit to the Vision Pro, but its strategy is similar to sell it for $99. “The two bands included in the first Vision Pro were virtually useless,” Bloomberg said. “The dual-knit band should be provided free of charge to Vision Pro buyers, but Apple will not do so due to logistical and financial difficulties.”
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
