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Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

marco.org

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Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#51

Post by lobster_johnson »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #50
tempestn wrote: post #3

Apparently Marco Arment made an ad-blocking app for iOS called Peace, then after 2 days decided that he didn't want to be in the ad blocking business for ethical reasons and so pulled the app. He explains his reasoning here: http://www.marco.org/2015/09/18/just-doesnt-feel-good In this update, Apple has made the (apparently unprecedented) decision to proactively refund all purchases of the app, rather than requiring…

There really needs to be some way to pin these "necessary context for understanding the post" comments to the top of the thread. (Other than just upvoting, which as of right now hasn't yet achieved that.)

Afaik, upvoting will only work for a while -- I believe the sorting algorithm uses time as a factor, to allow newer comments to bubble up above higher-rated ones.

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#52

Post by paulcole »

iofj wrote: post #48
lips wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet so many people with aforementioned gobs don't. Stand-up guy is stand-up. The Apple side of this is intriguing. I guess this is pocket change to them, but did they do this after reading about his thoughts and decision? Or was it simply cost-effective to batch return the money vs. reviewing and processing an unknown number of individual requests?

Alternate explanation : he's still employed by yahoo, has millions in unvested shared (it's still less than 4 years), and got threatened with termination. Just an alternative theory. He may have simply chosen the more money option.

Wait, why would he still be employed by Yahoo? Pretty sure he left at least a year before the acquisition.

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#53

Post by paulcole »

blazespin wrote: post #17
thisisandyok wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was another post he wrote about Peace a few days ago: >I don’t feel good making one and being the arbiter of what’s blocked. He doesn't have a problem with ad blocking, but doesn't want to be the one deciding what's blocked and what isn't http://www.marco.org/2015/09/18/just-doesnt-feel-good

I don't buy this at all! Sell the App to someone who is prepared to fight the war .. marco has sold things before and knows how easy it is. (I have sold many apps, etc. Trust me.. it is very very easy) My little hunch-o-maker tells me there is an untold part to this story and he's just trying to distract us from his real reasons. If I were to guess, it was his tumblr/yahoo connections that reached out to him and aske…

If it's an issue where he simply doesn't enjoy the feeling of creating Peace, as he says, selling it isn't a solution for that problem.

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#54

Post by digi_owl »

chillacy wrote: post #43
digi_owl wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Welcome to the Streisand effect. While it was extensions for browsers etc, it was one thing. But now Apple (take note) has built it into their most talked about product. And given how the media production and apple products are intertwined, suddenly the media people sit up, take notes, and start talking/writing about it.

That doesn't sound like the Streisand effect. The Streisand effect would apply if ad networks actively suppressed information about ad blocking technology, sending DMCA takedown requests and threatening providers who host this type of software, which creates such a media buzz that people start picking it up, more because of the suppression than if the ad networks had just ignored it in the first place.

The media depend on ads for their revenue, and making noise about how bad it is has made people more aware that they can block ads...

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#55

Post by vacri »

yarou wrote: post #49
vacri wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nevertheless, just because it's "easier" doesn't mean that it's actually done - there are plenty of arsehole rich folks who could spread their money around more. A rich person being nice is still a person being nice.

Sure, but a rich person is also a person that is rich. Their calculus in determining a potentially "ethical" decision is much different than, say, a developer struggling in the former eastern bloc. People rarely ever operate in a vacuum, and a person is subconsciously influenced by a variety of factors, of which financial status is one. In this particular instance, it would be a bit disingenuous to assume that Marco…

So... you're saying that "rich people can't act morally, because they have fat wallets" isn't a simple case? That's what I'm arguing against. You're projecting this 'vacuum' idea onto me, because I said nothing of the sort.

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#56

Post by rajacombinator »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #50
tempestn wrote: post #3

Apparently Marco Arment made an ad-blocking app for iOS called Peace, then after 2 days decided that he didn't want to be in the ad blocking business for ethical reasons and so pulled the app. He explains his reasoning here: http://www.marco.org/2015/09/18/just-doesnt-feel-good In this update, Apple has made the (apparently unprecedented) decision to proactively refund all purchases of the app, rather than requiring…

There really needs to be some way to pin these "necessary context for understanding the post" comments to the top of the thread. (Other than just upvoting, which as of right now hasn't yet achieved that.)

Additional context needed: is there something new in iOS 9 that makes ad blocking possible?

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#57

Post by mehrdada »

rajacombinator wrote: post #56
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There really needs to be some way to pin these "necessary context for understanding the post" comments to the top of the thread. (Other than just upvoting, which as of right now hasn't yet achieved that.)

Additional context needed: is there something new in iOS 9 that makes ad blocking possible?

Yes, iOS 9 introduces a new content blocking API making ad blockers in Safari possible:

https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/releaseno...

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#58

Post by blackoil »

Do we have any ethical add blocker around. I would love to have an add blocker that disables tracking but allows ads by default, and I as a user should have option to block ads in some sites or block certain ad network i find offensive/creepy/...

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#59

Post by wingerlang »

rdsnsca wrote: post #32
TillE wrote: post #9

It must have been annoying for them to deal with thousands of refund requests by hand. I was expecting Apple would just bulk-approve refunds for this app, but it's great that they've gone one step further.

Apple handles the refund processes completely.

He did not imply anything else.

Re: Apple refunding all purchases of Peace

#60

Post by skrause »

PJones wrote: post #31
johnpowell wrote: post #12

Here is what it Apple said regarding my my refund. http://pastebin.com/2zgmekPi

Weird. I'm in the UK, and just chose the 'I want to cancel the order' option. The email confirming my request and the email confirming the refund had been accepted literally arrived in the same minute.

The "I want to cancel the order" option is only available in the EU and a few other countries (like Taiwan) for up to 14 days after your purchase, but not in the US.
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