How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
1–10 of 215 posts
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#2 The algorithm examines 42
different signals, they said,
including an app’s relevance
to a given search, its
ratings, and its popularity
based on downloads and user
clicks.
[...]
If you searched for “podcast”
in May 2018, you would have
had to scroll through as many
as 14 Apple apps before
finding one made by another
publisher.
[...]
“We make mistakes all the
time,” Mr. Cue said.
“We’re happy to admit when we
do,” Mr. Schiller said. “This
wasn’t a mistake.”
It's difficult to make any sense at all of such a result.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#3Can I go a little off-topic and comment how really well done this webpage is?
Very mobile optimized and nice the “scroll to discover” kind of behavior.
Haven’t noticed how long NYT has been doing this kind of stuff but very well done.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#4I appreciate Apple offering its own apps, as I don't trust anyone else with my data.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#5The algorithm examines 42 different signals, they said, including an app’s relevance to a given search, its ratings, and its popularity based on downloads and user clicks. [...] If you searched for “podcast” in May 2018, you would have had to scroll through as many as 14 Apple apps before finding one made by another publisher. [...] “We make mistakes all the time,” Mr. Cue said. “We’re happy to admit when we do,” Mr.…
Ranking by count the all apps installed by users who have previously searched for might do it.
Not saying that's a good algorithm, but one _might_ be tempted to think that with enough users it should be fine. The 'bug' being that all Apple's users are Apple users, so Apple apps would get pushed high for any search.
I'm certainly not suggesting that's what happeened (or even that it would be something so simplistic), but it gives me an idea at least how something that, when presented only with the symptoms, seems so unbelievable.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#6The algorithm examines 42 different signals, they said, including an app’s relevance to a given search, its ratings, and its popularity based on downloads and user clicks. [...] If you searched for “podcast” in May 2018, you would have had to scroll through as many as 14 Apple apps before finding one made by another publisher. [...] “We make mistakes all the time,” Mr. Cue said. “We’re happy to admit when we do,” Mr.…
Ranking by count the all apps installed by users who have previously searched for might do it. Not saying that's a good algorithm, but one _might_ be tempted to think that with enough users it should be fine. The 'bug' being that all Apple's users are Apple users, so Apple apps would get pushed high for any search. I'm certainly not suggesting that's what happeened (or even that it would be something so simplistic),…
Agreed, but the end result is that their algorithm pre-fix was clearly faulty and should be considered a mistake. Their gymnastics to the contrary just come across as either a bad-faith argument or self-delusion.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#7I appreciate Apple offering its own apps, as I don't trust anyone else with my data.
Apple just made a mistake handling its own app store data, so that should at least put a little crack in that trust.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#8Time for a federal Investigation on that monopoly . . . .
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#9I appreciate Apple offering its own apps, as I don't trust anyone else with my data.
Apple just made a mistake handling its own app store data, so that should at least put a little crack in that trust.
Search relevancy != data being sent to 3rd party analytic firms. Let's be serious, those are 2 separate issues.
Re: How Apple's Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls
#10I appreciate Apple offering its own apps, as I don't trust anyone else with my data.
The story isn't particularly about Apple offering its own apps -- it's about it throwing lots of its apps into the top of search results when they're questionably relevant, and then doing its best to avoid saying there might have ever been anything suspect about the correctness of that behavior.