Apple testing new App Store design that blurs the line between ads and results

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Capitalism, Leadership, and “Enshittification”

  • Many see this as the predictable endgame of capitalism: growth targets and stock-linked compensation push leadership toward dark patterns once product-driven expansion plateaus.
  • Commenters argue boards systematically select MBA/finance-style CEOs, who optimize for revenue even at UX cost.
  • Several frame this as Apple’s “Ballmer moment” or “services pivot,” with spreadsheets displacing product vision and organizational cohesion decaying.
  • Others push back: expecting Apple to “care about users” over profits was always naive; this is simply proof the incentives are working.

User Experience, Safety, and Dark Patterns

  • Blurring ad vs result is seen as inherently deceptive: it exploits the fact most users don’t carefully scan UI labels.
  • People report already seeing scammy or confusing lookalike apps (e.g., authenticator clones, fake ChatGPTs) outranking legitimate ones, undermining Apple’s safety/walled-garden claims.
  • Concern that trick installs of the “wrong app” can have serious consequences, especially for family members, elderly, or less technical users.
  • Some say they now refuse to tell relatives “just search the App Store,” and instead only share direct links.

Erosion of Apple’s Premium / Trust Position

  • A recurring theme: users pay a hardware and ecosystem premium specifically to avoid this kind of hostile design.
  • OS-level upsells (News+, Fitness+, AppleCare+, iCloud nags, F1 promotions) are cited as evidence that “freemium” patterns are creeping into a supposedly premium product.
  • A number of commenters are actively de-risking from Apple services (Nextcloud, Fastmail, FOSS, GrapheneOS) so they can switch platforms more easily.

Comparisons to Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Android

  • Many note Apple is “just catching up” to others:
    • Google Search/Play gradually hiding ad markers.
    • Amazon search dominated by hard-to-spot “Sponsored” results.
    • Windows 11 filled with first- and third‑party promotions.
  • Counterpoint: Apple’s brand promise was not to do what everyone else does; matching the industry undermines the rationale for paying the “Apple tax.”
  • Some argue Android is at least as bad (or worse) for ads and telemetry; others highlight F-Droid/GrapheneOS as partial escape hatches.

Ad Economics, Trademarks, and Regulation

  • Several see this as part of a broader pattern where gatekeepers tax brands on their own names (search ads on trademarks, lookalike apps around official results).
  • One camp calls for banning ads on trademarked queries or forcing organic first-position for exact matches; another warns about free-speech and comparative-advertising issues, preferring stricter anti-fraud and clear labeling instead.
  • EU rules nominally require ads to be clearly recognizable; commenters say platforms now optimize up to that legal line, making labels as small and low-contrast as possible.

Changing App Ecosystem and User Behavior

  • Many say they haven’t “browsed” an app store in years; they only install apps they already know by name. Discovery now happens via friends, social feeds, or search/LLMs.
  • Some think the “golden age” of interesting one‑off $2 apps is over. App economics (no paid upgrades, platform cut, ranking algorithms) push devs toward subscriptions, IAPs, and “live service” models.
  • There’s frustration that even trivial utilities (timers, flashcards, trackers) demand aggressive weekly/monthly subscriptions, which in turn increases dependence on manipulative funnels like ad-like search placement.

Monopoly, Lock-In, and What’s Next

  • Debate over whether this is a “monopoly”: defenders say Android exists; critics point out iOS users have no alternative app distribution, unlike macOS or Android.
  • Some argue that clamping down on Apple’s 30% cut simply pushed them to extract via ads instead; others say that’s exactly why regulation should target dark patterns and ad placement rules directly.
  • A few predict that AI/agents and system-level app/package discovery may eventually bypass the visible App Store UI—making today’s enshittification both short-sighted and corrosive to long-term trust.