- Apple apparently plans to insert announcements in its Apple Maps application
- This would reflect a decision made by Google Maps and similar rivals
- This could lead to a much worse user experience
Apple Maps was a Buggy mess when it was launched, but in the years that followed a real rival for Google Maps, and probably surpasses it in certain regions. But there are murmurs that he could soon adopt one of Google Maps’ worst features, and that made me worried about his future.
Indeed, Bloomberg’s journalist Mark Gurman thinks that Apple plans to insert advertisements in the Apple Maps application. This could mean that certain places are pushed at the top of the search results within the application, an example being a local Wendy at the top of the list when you are looking for “fries”, simply because it has paid to be announced This way.
Apple Maps would not be the first Apple application to be delivered with integrated announcements. The actions, news and applications of the APP Store already contain advertisements, and the company pushes further in the advertising sector with its expansion sports coverage.
Nor is it the first time that Apple has examined the insertion of ads in Apple cards. Gurman reported in 2022 that the company was considering means to integrate advertising into its navigation application, although few came. Now it seems that Apple returns to the idea more seriously.
Degrade your search results
A movement like this remains in training for several reasons. As a user of Apple, I already pay a bonus for the equipment, so being disseminated advertisements in addition to that has the impression of being nickel and dimension. In addition to that, Apple is one of the most precious and profitable companies in the world – should it really degrade the user experience in order to press even more money in its chests?
I take a little comfort knowing that Apple is much more involved in the confidentiality of users than Google. Apple takes certain steps to protect information from people using the MAPS application, such as assigning you a random identifier that only lasts the duration of your session, which makes Apple or a pirate impossible to obtain a complete image of travel ‘A person. It makes me feel that Apple would at least manage the confidentiality of users more rigorously if it brought ads on Apple cards.
But that does not overcome my main problem to see ads in a cartography application. Applications like this are not only used for route planning – they are used to find attractions and restaurants in your neighboring region. You may want to find the best restaurant near you, but if some locations are promoted to the top of the pile because they have paid the privilege, you could be pushed to a lower location and miss a better place that did not slip Apple to few brilliant green tickets. In other words, the playing field is biased from the best results and towards those with the deepest pockets.
If I use an application like Apple Maps to find local attractions, I do not want my screen to be crowded with questionable options when something better could end up being pushed out of sight. And although I suppose Apple will respect the confidentiality of users according to its past behavior, it is not a guarantee that the company will be so scrupulous when the serious money is at stake.
I guess the good news is that I have become so used to ignoring the announcements that I have already conditioned myself to scroll through the rights in research results. But if Apple manages this movement badly, I may should start looking for an alternative application.
