I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams • Hacker News Board

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#311

Post by saithir » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:02 PM UTC

ravetcofx wrote: post #216

dangus wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You now have Apple Fitness+, Apple TV, News, Music, Arcade. None of these are of any quality of what Apple used to be. It is really sad. News+ is the only one of these that has poor quality. Apple Music is extremely good, and pays artists better than many other platforms like Spotify. Unlike Spotify it isn’t enshittifying the product with AI music, video, and podcast distractions. The software is good quality, nati…

> aren’t stuffed full of gambling mechanics and advertisements. Where can you get that from the Play Store? The Play Store Pass? Which not only has games but utilities https://play.google.com/store/pass/getstarted

> Available offers > Get offers for top games with Play Pass > 50% zniżki na zakup w aplikacji > Do 37 zł zniżki co tydzień > Candy Crush Soda Saga

Yeah, I would say a big ad for a game that is literally THE textbook example of gambling mechanics and dark patterns, followed by 10 other ads for games of the similar genre, is exactly what the previous poster does NOT want from a service like that.

Oh and also from that page there's no telling at all what actual _games_ are included. The only slider on this page that lists anything is for different gambling slop "offers".

That's not even in the same category as Apple Arcade.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#312

Post by al_borland » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:04 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #203

victor106 wrote: post #122

Dear Tim Apple: you don’t need the tiny amount you get these ads. You do need to fix this embarrassing thing that you released called “Liquid Glass”

Sadly we are going to get more ads (Apple Maps is next). If it goes much further people will start questioning whether Apple products are worth the premium price.

I have used Apple products for over 20 years, because I felt like a customer instead of the product. Apple’s services strategy has changed this perception. I question Apple’s competitive advantage when they shift to a Google-like business model. They are actively throwing away the very thing that made them a unique and valuable player in the industry, and for what? A couple extra percent profit in the short term?

Steve Jobs always said he wanted to make insanely great products for customers. Products they’d be proud to recommend to their family. It feels like Cook lost his way, spending too much time focusing on the stock, instead of letting great products drive adoption, and letting the stock follow.

If the rumors are true that Apple is preparing for a change at the top, I how we see a dramatic change in the services strategy and Apple can get back to making great products that people actually want to use.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#313

Post by genewitch » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC

swores wrote: post #144

addicted wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"customer" is a much better term IMO. It indicates this is ultimately a transactional relationship where both sides have certain responsibilities. The customer the responsibility to provide the money, and the provider receiving the money has a responsibility to provide the customer with something, products or services, of value that makes their lives better. "user" is a worse term. It suggests that the "user" is simp…

> "It's also not a coincidence, IMO, that drug addicts are also called "users" since "user" implies a one way dependent relationship and that's what all the tech companies have been trying to create." You're drawing a connection that's not there. It's indeed not a coincidence, but just because both situations fit the definition of the word "user" (and "to use"). People use drugs, whether they're addicted or whether t…

"And don't say 'do it' because i don't 'do it', i ingest it, on orders from my neurophysiologist."

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#314

Post by abecode » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC

mafuy wrote: post #286

aleph_minus_one wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When an ad network has a strong profile on you, legitimate companies pay good money for those ad slots. I have looked what interests for example Google stores about me > http://google.com/ads/preferences I am very certain that these don't describe me well, or I am classified wrong in some categories (without using any tracking/privacy protection! But I won't actively correct this misclassification). My experience i…

That link does not work for me. It closes itself immediately.

I think you need to change it to https://, ie, https://google.com/ads/preferences . It resolves to https://myadcenter.google.com/home?hl=en&sasb=true&ref=ad-se...

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#315

Post by charcircuit » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:15 PM UTC

>as they take peoples’ money then shut down

That's not what these sites do. They are dropshipping sites. Make up a random expensive price and then say it is on sale at a price where you still make profit. Some make the shipping more expensive so they advertised price of the item is even lower or even free.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#316

Post by michael_michael » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:15 PM UTC

olivia-banks wrote: post #156

I've an avid Apple News user, and while I haven't seen the sorts of ads in the article, I do gets lots of ads for tax filing software. Namely, Intuit TurboTax. They are the only ads I ever get. What's more, if you even touch them while scrolling, it triggers the "download app" screen, even if I don't explicitly tap. This is new as of a few weeks ago.

Those stupid effing TurboTax ads are the only time I’ve ever been motivated to actually write feedback to apple about a feature. So aggravating and user-hostile.

The first few times the App Store opened to TurboTax while scrolling past, I assumed it was my fault and I was somehow misclicking. Then I slowed down and confirmed, no, this is the intended behavior. It’s meant to pop up and disturb your reading.

What slimy behavior. And the fact that it’s TurboTax of all companies they’re doing it for is just salt on the wound.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#317

Post by stavros » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:15 PM UTC

Gracana wrote: post #111

stavros wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vote with your wallet and buy an Android phone without ads and trackers? What is this FUD?

A phone is a poor replacement for a laptop.

The GP said phones.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#318

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:22 PM UTC

digiown wrote: post #263

WarmWash wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the "beast" is the Internet content itself. Even HN itself is a massive ad. We are lured here with tech links so YC companies can fish in curated waters for workers. That is explicitly why this board is hosted. The real fix is paying money for everything, but as evidenced by the many attempts at this, no one actually wants to pay. People overwhelmingly want to block ads and backdoor subscriptions. For e…

> HN itself is a massive ad I don't think it is the same. There is no manipulation involved here and many people seem to be looking for jobs actively. > no one actually wants to pay Two things 1. Most content is actually pretty worthless. It's subsidized by the ad-surveillance industrial complex. Even in the pre-LLM times there is so much blogspam, content farm articles, and slop videos because of this. 2. Payment mo…

[deleted]

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#319

Post by regenschutz » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:23 PM UTC

dizhn wrote: post #115

nicbou wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not have that filter, but I have been using ad blockers for so long that my tolerance for ads is near zero. Being interrupted by an ad is enough for me to close the tab or turn the device off. I can't imagine what it's like to access modern websites unfiltered.

I also use adblock and what ends up happening as a consequence is the ads I do see are the shittiest of shitty ads that don't even come from a recognized network. :)

If you see any ads at all, then your adblocker isn't aggressive enough. I don't think I have seen a single ad since I installed uBlock Origin, but I also installed s bunch of extra filters first thing I did.

Re: I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams

#320

Post by kittikitti » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:25 PM UTC

Apple News itself is a scam. The journalism there is filled with clickbait headlines. Apple News accelerated the drop in quality from the transformation between print and digital news. They just need you to click on the headline, and most people don't even do that.