Apple Weighs Adding Paid Business Listings To Maps App (bloomberg.com) 27
Apple is exploring ways to monetize its Maps app by introducing paid business listings and prioritized search results, Bloomberg News reports, citing an internal company meeting with the Maps team. The initiative would allow businesses to pay for higher placement in search results and more prominent display on maps, similar to Google Maps' advertising model. While no timeline has been set and no active development is underway, the move would mark Apple's first attempt to generate direct revenue from its mapping service. The potential Maps monetization comes as Apple expands its advertising business across other services. The company has previously increased its focus on search ads in the App Store and recently added advertising to its News and Stocks apps, as well as its sports content.
BOOOOO (Score:3)
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I don't want any of those things, but I use Google Maps anyway, because last time I used Apple Maps, it sucked. A lot.
As for choice, you always have a choice. Just because you don't like the choices, does not mean they don't exist.
AAA will send maps for free. I got a bunch of them in December when I made a trip out west,
fee 30% of your gross income! (Score:1)
fee 30% of your gross income!
I'm all for it! (Score:2)
If it means I can make funny meme locations and have them bubble to the top of search results, that would be hilarious.
Google has been doing it for years (Score:3)
Google Maps and Waze have been doing this for years. I fully expect them to link my social & medical profiles against my driving habits soon and let me know where clean restrooms are along my path.
Re: Google has been doing it for years (Score:3)
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Shit!
Unreliable information source (Score:5, Funny)
It's hard to take seriously any map that has misspells "Gulf of Mexico" so badly.
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But "Gulf of America" is much more inclusive because it's named for the entire continent, not just one country.
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Although, it has to have you wondering if trump had even considered that when he rage signs executive orders.
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But "Gulf of America" is much more inclusive because it's named for the entire continent, not just one country.
In that case Gulf of the Americas would be a better descriptor . Ok
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Fuck all name changes. permanently.
Historic names must remain static to serve their actual purpose as an identifier for everybody to use. Do not allow them to be changed because some bully gets their tiny aroused. Woke activists are totally included and can go suck a bag of dicks (unless they are into that and are about to make up a new pronoun for that...)
Improve Maps without adding ads, maybe? (Score:5, Insightful)
I use Apple Maps most of the time (because it works better with CarPlay, and its voice directions are easier to understand).
I use Google Maps when I want to know more than the location about nearby businesses, like if they're open now, or how busy they are likely to be.
Apple, if you want to improve Maps, start with non-advertising feature parity with Google Maps.
I personally buy Apple phones and desktops because they don't sell my data and they don't show me ads.
Paid placement in search results is the first step on the slippery slope to ad revenue uber alles that Google has become. Don't do it, Apple!
Re: Improve Maps without adding ads, maybe? (Score:3)
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Yes, there is a difference, but if the ads have beacons or other talk-to-the-mothership tech, they might as well have sold your data.
For quite some time, there were three obvious levels of evil/exploitation in tech:
Apple - we know things about you, but since we don't sell ads we are not obviously exploiting that data. We get our $$ from hardware and services.
Google - we know things about you, we target ads on that basis, this is why our services are free.
Meta - we know things about you, and we will sell ac
Re: Improve Maps without adding ads, maybe? (Score:3)
Competing needs (Score:2)
The map provider wants to make money, they don't make this money directly from the map users, so advertising money is the obvious choice.
If they have no businesses on the map it has a greatly diminished utility and users will go elsewhere. Businesses really don't need to pay if the pressure to create a useful map means they get included for free.
I think a two-tier system is reasonable; free address lookup to ensure every business known to the map owner is listed, but if you want default visibility as a bu
Textbook enshittification (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple finally feels like it's caught up sufficiently to Google, or more likely just captured sufficient market share from their walled garden. Thus, as was foretold by the ancient scrolls, let the enshittification commence!
*gong sound*
They're gonna make it googly (Score:2)
Apple, privacy blah lah (Score:2)
Get rid of yelp (Score:1)
No! (Score:2)
Fuck that. We pay good money for Apple hardware because it brings with it excellent software. Enshittify the software at your hardware sales' peril.
It was inevitable, but... (Score:1)