7 ms·

Search Ads

146 points by arturgrigor 10y ago

cmsj 10y ago
Anyone else getting an error when saving credit card information?
- shriek 10y ago
  I'm not even able to load the site.
- Hbthegreat 10y ago
  This should instantly stand out to you as being a bad idea.
  - colechristensen 10y ago
    Why? It's a credit card, you're not liable for fraudulent charges and you're saving it with the largest company in the world (market cap).
georgyo 10y ago
For many many years, the number one reason people told me why they used apple products was privacy and that with apple I'm not a product. It's how they could justify paying the high premium for apple products. It would be very interesting if they get into the advertising business. Harvesting data about my usage it and using that data to charge more for ads that are well targeted. It would mean that in addition to apple selling a product at a premium, the users would also become a product. Combine this with things like the disappearing head phone jack, and apple is becoming actively hostile towards its users.
- nixos 10y ago
  Common mistake. If the service is free, you could be the product (on not, like Linux), but you could be the product even if you paid. Many physical newspapers cost money and had ads (even the reputable newspapers such as the NYT), and likely sold your information (whatever they had, that is) to the highest bidder. If they had a way to track you, they would in a heartbeat.
- taf2 10y ago
  Before they can do that they need to implement a search that actually works... I've never understood why the app stores are not just websites similar to amazon. The goal is to make it easy to locate an app whether you have the device or not- limiting access to the knowledge of the existence of an app seems like a fail in brand awareness.
  - palakchokshi 10y ago
    True that Apple's App Store search sucks. I'll give an example: search for Get@ and see the results. Now search for GetAt and you'll see an app called Get@. If you allow @ symbol in the app name then your search should return that app when searched for it.
- nerdponx 10y ago
  I suspect they're doing it now because they realize they're the last company to _not_ abuse their users' privacy. Now that users have absolutely nowhere else to turn, Apple has no reason not to play that game. Edit: how do i italics
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - ljk 10y ago
    *like this* https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc
  - matt4077 10y ago
    (a) This matches Searches to Apps, not users. (b) The situations you're describing hasn't really changed since Facebook added ads, so they could've had that "realization" much earlier. (c) Apple is positioning itself as a privacy-focused company with (for example) their lawsuit regarding iPhone unlocking and their implementation of differential privacy for their machine learning algorithms. It'd be stupid to give that up and risk a triple-digit-billion-business (iPhone) for what's bound to be a small fraction of that (ads in the App Store).
    - nixos 10y ago
      > It'd be stupid to give that up and risk a triple-digit-billion-business (iPhone) for what's bound to be a small fraction of that (ads in the App Store). You don't have to outrun the bear, just your friend.
      - matt4077 10y ago
        Yeah, but running doesn't just mean "have better privacy" than the competition (i. e. Samsung/Google). Privacy is only one of many dimensions Apple is competing on, and running up the score there may still help them when the competition is better along other dimensions, like those cool self-igniting firework-phones I keep hearing about.
- esotericsean 10y ago
  It's extremely difficult to get noticed on the app store because it's so huge now. I think this was a necessary move. Apple does harvest your data, but they don't sell it. You're not a product. The headphone jack is an entirely different situation. It was a necessary move on Apple's part in order to push industry standards towards wireless. I'm sure in a few years, we're all going to laugh about all the wires and cables we used to have everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if eventually Apple got rid of all ports on all their devices.
  - sdegutis 10y ago
    But how is this different than selling your data? They're using your data to help developers make money from you, and they get a cut of that money.
  - brian-armstrong 10y ago
    Wired headphones aren't going anywhere, Apple or no.
    - jgalt212 10y ago
      in the sense that Lightning did not kill USB, you are correct, sir.
      - roryisok 10y ago
        Android / iPhone are becoming completely incompatible at a hardware level. Lightning instead of USB. No headphones. No SD card. Next it'll be some proprietary SIM card standard. It's almost like their afraid someone is going to crack iOS to run on and Android handset the way macOS can run on a PC
        obtino 10y ago
        > No SD card. To be fair, the SD card has been abandoned by the Google Nexus line as well. It caused a lot more problems than solved. Now that storage is relatively cheap, more manufacturers are removing it.
- zitterbewegung 10y ago
  Anyone remember iAds ? They have tried to get into the ad business and failed. Since this is more limited in scope and you can figure out intent better maybe this will be more successful .
- downandout 10y ago
  This isn't general advertising. It's only on the App Store and is based on the keywords you enter into a search in the store. They rolled this out because it's basically impossible for an unknown developer to get noticed anymore on there. Apple haters will use any new product to criticize the company, but this seems fairly benign and fills a need among developers.
  - jest3r1 10y ago
    Ahh yes, more fees for developers. > it's basically impossible for an unknown developer to get noticed They could improve the search algorithm to solve this. Perhaps redesign the app store UI to better accommodate new apps. Or they could stagnate for years and then solve the problem by charging developers more. I'm not a hater though.
    - downandout 10y ago
      >Ahh yes, more fees for developers. Developers (including myself) are already paying these fees to Google, Facebook and Bing in the form of app install ads. We'll likely get more more bang for the buck directly on the App Store though, so IMO it's a win for developers.
      - jsonne 10y ago
        Your media mix will likely shift, but you'll still be paying Facebook, Google etc. as well. Btw take a look at Twitter if you aren't already. I've had good results there.
        downandout 10y ago
        Thanks, I will. I had always heard that Twitter sucked for most stuff...glad to hear someone is having a good experience.
        jsonne 10y ago
        Absolutely. Feel free to reach out if you want any in depth advice. (Email is in my profile.)
- z3t4 10y ago
  I had the same feeling about Microsoft and I'm currently moving away from that platform. Most users seem OK with being tracked and identified so I doubt they will lose business because of it. At least until the new third reich comes by and exterminate those they don't like.
AJRF 10y ago
"App Transaction Data. This includes historical information about your transactions in the App Store, including apps you have downloaded and in-app purchases you've made." Yuck. https://searchads.apple.com/privacy https://searchads.apple.com/privacy
- M4v3R 10y ago
  Apple already has this information, so this is only putting it to use. Plus, they continue below: > Advertisers have the ability to select user segments based on this information when setting up their campaigns to guide the delivery of their ads. However, no user segment can be smaller than 5,000 people. No individual user data may be exported from Search Ads, ensuring that only aggregate campaign delivery information is available and no individual user data is ever exposed to advertisers. So individual developers don't have access to this information.
  - cageface 10y ago
    So, pretty much exactly the same as Google Search.
- ihuman 10y ago
  Wouldn't they have to store that information so you can redownload/refund apps and restore the in-app purchases?
- AlexandrB 10y ago
  I'm just happy you can disable the use of this info (see the end of that page).
palakchokshi 10y ago
This is interesting. On one hand it discontinued the iAd product and allowed Developers to go to third party Ad networks. On the other hand it provides a better experience for the user by serving ads when the intent of the user is clear and generating revenue off of it. I think if Apple prices correctly it has the potential to reduce in-app ads considerably at the same time increasing revenue for Apple because most ads in apps are to download other apps and if relevant apps are served up via Search Ads it could be a better business model than iAds.
the_common_man 10y ago
This is...insane. The whole point of the App Store is to help in discovery and I already pay a 30% cut for my app. And now they want to charge me for promoting my app in their store. This should just be a built-in part of the App Store story for the customers. This is why Apple customers pay a premium. Instead Apple sees an opportunity here to make even more money off me / the app authors? Hats off to Apple. First, they charge developers to even develop for their platform (though this has become free off late). They only allow developing on their Macs. Then they take 30% cut of apps and also in-app purchases. And now they want more money to promote stuff in their store. I don't know what to say. I am sure this will be a raging success as well :/
- brian-armstrong 10y ago
  Also, I think it's worth combining this news with the fact that they restricted the length of app titles in order to combat app store seo. Why not just fix search in the first place? This definitely feels like an engineering shortcoming on Apple's behalf.
- Kronopath 10y ago
  People are already paying to promote apps though. I've heard of plenty of app developers paying for huge numbers of app installs in bulk in order to get them to the App Store's top downloaded lists. This is Apple trying to capture some of that market and bring it away from these kinds of shady practices.
  - the_common_man 10y ago
    Yes, so let it be free of charge. Why is there any cost involved here for the app developer?
    - ljk 10y ago
      Probably because Apple can..
    - joemi 10y ago
      If it were free, wouldn't everyone do it, thereby negating any benefit?
physcab 10y ago
From their ad copy they say 65% of all downloads come from app store search. If this is true, this is bad news for FB. A huge chunk of FB revenue comes from mobile app install ads bc that was the only method large app developers had to send users to their apps. I previously worked at a gaming firm that spent $5M/month on these types of ads. If App Store search is effective, this will swing ad budgets away. FB still has all the demographic and audience info, but arguably none of that is important bc all you want to do in those types of ads is attract users who spent. Apple is at the top of the chain, they can do this better than FB bc they have reliable transaction data and FB has to rely on properly instrumented SDKs, then use machine learning to figure out who "might" be a spender, then have the marketing person optimize those ads. Wouldn't you rather just say, target anyone who has previously made a purchase in a game and be done with it? Another note. I once created a niche utility app that I eventually had to takedown because as an indie dev it was difficult to rise above the ranks, even if the apps above mine were super shitty. I'm going to resurrect that app tonight bc for the first time this might be an effective form of user acquisition. FB ads were terrible bc it is not intent-based and Adwords were terrible because people don't search Google for apps then pull out their phones to download apps (or search in Safari then switch to App Store).
- CatMtKing 10y ago
  I only use the search when I know what app I'm looking for. Wouldn't that would drive up the numbers artificially -- as I had the intention of downloading the app before I began searching.
  - zbuttram 10y ago
    I wouldn't think so, not if they're saying a percentage of all downloads come from search, as opposed to a percentage of all searches lead to a download.
    - hasbroslasher 10y ago
      But searching is the only way (sane) people find anything on the App Store. When was the last time you browsed the store until you found the cool new app you just read about? Whenever I use the App store, I'm on a mission. But it's also a mission to get free stuff, so maybe I'm not even part of the equation.
hackaflocka 10y ago
RIP Steve.
jfoster 10y ago
This will be interesting. I have a feeling that once Apple get a taste of sweet search ad revenue, they won't be able to let Google own overall search without a fight. I know Apple have been rumoured to be working on a search engine for a long time, but Siri aside, it never seemed to reach fruition. I think this could give them some renewed focus on that, though.
ksec 10y ago
I find it strange they prefer Ads as part of the solution to discovery problem. Apple App Store Search SUCKS. And I have no idea why. It is not that they cant do search ( Spotlight in Mac ), but they cant do search at scale. It is also to get some of the Ads revenue from Google and mainly facebook, where Apps install is a huge deal.
- electrum 10y ago
  This was actually the original idea of pay-per-click search ads. GoTo.com was founded on the idea that paid listings would be of higher quality and relevancy, because websites that pay more are likely better sites. The idea has some merit: you can't spam the search engine with completely irrelevant ads, because users will click them and thus charge the advertiser, but they'll quickly leave the site because it isn't relevant to their search. Modern pay-per-click (PPC) does yield management and ranks ads based on the click-through-rate (CTR) multiplied by the PPC. So if you create irrelevant ads that no one ever clicks on, they'll stop being shown in favor of more relevant ads with a higher CTR.
slackoverflower 10y ago
This is a huge opportunity for Apple's own ad network, iAd, to really take off. Now that they have the advertisers who are willing to spend money and the information on iOS users who actually spend money in the App Store, this makes iAd much more valuable. Apple loves to control their ecosystem so having their own ad network implemented in majority of ad-revenue-based iOS apps would work out quite well.
- r00fus 10y ago
  Yeah, except the part where iAd was put out to pasture: https://developer.apple.com/iad/ https://developer.apple.com/iad/ "The iAd App Network will no longer be available starting July 1, 2016"
omarchowdhury 10y ago
May the best apps win. Amen.
staticelf 10y ago
This is bad for everyone except Apples revenue and already rich app-makers. First off, it's bad for the end user since app quality has nothing to do with the amount spent on advertising. It is also bad for indie developers since they won't be able to compete with big businesses. Most likely, the indie made app you love will be harder to find since other apps will be shown instead. This sucks and is a totally greedy move from one of the largest corporations in the world.
- Kiro 10y ago
  As an indie game developer I disagree with you. Spending money on ads promoting my game is the only way I've managed to get any traction. I don't need to spend big money either. You need advertising or having a big network that can promote your game for free. Simply making a good game doesn't cut it unless you're lucky.
  - johnydepp 10y ago
    I tend to disagree with you. First off it will decrease app disconverability. Second, many of indie developers depend on the incode from in-app advertisement. Now, after the release of AppStore Ads, the money will go directly to Apple instead of small Indie developers.
- raverbashing 10y ago
  However app quality in the Apple Store is significantly higher than on Android, because of their review process
  - FussyZeus 10y ago
    Not sure why this is downvoted, granted it's not just because of the review process but app (and especially game) quality is night and day between Android and iOS, both because of the review process and because of the barriers to entry being decently higher for iOS. You can talk about the problems with walled gardens all day and I'd agree with the majority of what you're saying, but I gotta be honest, when you're inside the walled garden it is pretty nice that they keep the riff-raff out, in this case the riff raff being the low budget (and frequently IP infringing) crapware games.
leppr 10y ago
I wouldn't be too keen to pay for a feature that works only half the time. Fix your sh*t before trying to sell it. https://www.google.com/search?q=app+store+apple+blank+screen https://www.google.com/search?q=app+store+apple+blank+screen (Notice how the results spawn from 2012 to today)
amelius 10y ago
This time Apple has gone too far. This is a move of greed and shows complete disrespect for developers.
kalleboo 10y ago
If 65% of downloads come from search, why don't they surface their curated collections (e.g. "best photo apps") when you search for "best photo app"?
on_and_off 10y ago
Damn. I was disappointed but not surprised to see search ads appear in the play store but now in the app store too ? App discovery feels utterly broken
- stuartaxelowen 10y ago
  Why does app discover seem broken? Don't people just search for the problem they have and find solutions?
chrischen 10y ago
Apple has terrible App search, so this is an opportunity for Google to provide a better app search/discovery system so that Apple doesn't get away with charging for ads to fix their terrible search and discovery.

Search Ads

146 points by arturgrigor 10y ago

cmsj 10y ago

Anyone else getting an error when saving credit card information?

shriek 10y ago
I'm not even able to load the site.
Hbthegreat 10y ago
This should instantly stand out to you as being a bad idea.
- colechristensen 10y ago
  Why? It's a credit card, you're not liable for fraudulent charges and you're saving it with the largest company in the world (market cap).

georgyo 10y ago

For many many years, the number one reason people told me why they used apple products was privacy and that with apple I'm not a product. It's how they could justify paying the high premium for apple products. It would be very interesting if they get into the advertising business. Harvesting data about my usage it and using that data to charge more for ads that are well targeted. It would mean that in addition to apple selling a product at a premium, the users would also become a product. Combine this with things like the disappearing head phone jack, and apple is becoming actively hostile towards its users.

nixos 10y ago
Common mistake. If the service is free, you could be the product (on not, like Linux), but you could be the product even if you paid. Many physical newspapers cost money and had ads (even the reputable newspapers such as the NYT), and likely sold your information (whatever they had, that is) to the highest bidder. If they had a way to track you, they would in a heartbeat.
taf2 10y ago
Before they can do that they need to implement a search that actually works... I've never understood why the app stores are not just websites similar to amazon. The goal is to make it easy to locate an app whether you have the device or not- limiting access to the knowledge of the existence of an app seems like a fail in brand awareness.
- palakchokshi 10y ago
  True that Apple's App Store search sucks. I'll give an example: search for Get@ and see the results. Now search for GetAt and you'll see an app called Get@. If you allow @ symbol in the app name then your search should return that app when searched for it.
nerdponx 10y ago
I suspect they're doing it now because they realize they're the last company to _not_ abuse their users' privacy. Now that users have absolutely nowhere else to turn, Apple has no reason not to play that game. Edit: how do i italics
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- ljk 10y ago
  *like this* https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc
- matt4077 10y ago
  (a) This matches Searches to Apps, not users. (b) The situations you're describing hasn't really changed since Facebook added ads, so they could've had that "realization" much earlier. (c) Apple is positioning itself as a privacy-focused company with (for example) their lawsuit regarding iPhone unlocking and their implementation of differential privacy for their machine learning algorithms. It'd be stupid to give that up and risk a triple-digit-billion-business (iPhone) for what's bound to be a small fraction of that (ads in the App Store).
  - nixos 10y ago
    > It'd be stupid to give that up and risk a triple-digit-billion-business (iPhone) for what's bound to be a small fraction of that (ads in the App Store). You don't have to outrun the bear, just your friend.
    - matt4077 10y ago
      Yeah, but running doesn't just mean "have better privacy" than the competition (i. e. Samsung/Google). Privacy is only one of many dimensions Apple is competing on, and running up the score there may still help them when the competition is better along other dimensions, like those cool self-igniting firework-phones I keep hearing about.
esotericsean 10y ago
It's extremely difficult to get noticed on the app store because it's so huge now. I think this was a necessary move. Apple does harvest your data, but they don't sell it. You're not a product. The headphone jack is an entirely different situation. It was a necessary move on Apple's part in order to push industry standards towards wireless. I'm sure in a few years, we're all going to laugh about all the wires and cables we used to have everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if eventually Apple got rid of all ports on all their devices.
- sdegutis 10y ago
  But how is this different than selling your data? They're using your data to help developers make money from you, and they get a cut of that money.
- brian-armstrong 10y ago
  Wired headphones aren't going anywhere, Apple or no.
  - jgalt212 10y ago
    in the sense that Lightning did not kill USB, you are correct, sir.
    - roryisok 10y ago
      Android / iPhone are becoming completely incompatible at a hardware level. Lightning instead of USB. No headphones. No SD card. Next it'll be some proprietary SIM card standard. It's almost like their afraid someone is going to crack iOS to run on and Android handset the way macOS can run on a PC
      - obtino 10y ago
        > No SD card. To be fair, the SD card has been abandoned by the Google Nexus line as well. It caused a lot more problems than solved. Now that storage is relatively cheap, more manufacturers are removing it.
zitterbewegung 10y ago
Anyone remember iAds ? They have tried to get into the ad business and failed. Since this is more limited in scope and you can figure out intent better maybe this will be more successful .
downandout 10y ago
This isn't general advertising. It's only on the App Store and is based on the keywords you enter into a search in the store. They rolled this out because it's basically impossible for an unknown developer to get noticed anymore on there. Apple haters will use any new product to criticize the company, but this seems fairly benign and fills a need among developers.
- jest3r1 10y ago
  Ahh yes, more fees for developers. > it's basically impossible for an unknown developer to get noticed They could improve the search algorithm to solve this. Perhaps redesign the app store UI to better accommodate new apps. Or they could stagnate for years and then solve the problem by charging developers more. I'm not a hater though.
  - downandout 10y ago
    >Ahh yes, more fees for developers. Developers (including myself) are already paying these fees to Google, Facebook and Bing in the form of app install ads. We'll likely get more more bang for the buck directly on the App Store though, so IMO it's a win for developers.
    - jsonne 10y ago
      Your media mix will likely shift, but you'll still be paying Facebook, Google etc. as well. Btw take a look at Twitter if you aren't already. I've had good results there.
      - downandout 10y ago
        Thanks, I will. I had always heard that Twitter sucked for most stuff...glad to hear someone is having a good experience.
        jsonne 10y ago
        Absolutely. Feel free to reach out if you want any in depth advice. (Email is in my profile.)
z3t4 10y ago
I had the same feeling about Microsoft and I'm currently moving away from that platform. Most users seem OK with being tracked and identified so I doubt they will lose business because of it. At least until the new third reich comes by and exterminate those they don't like.

AJRF 10y ago

"App Transaction Data. This includes historical information about your transactions in the App Store, including apps you have downloaded and in-app purchases you've made." Yuck. https://searchads.apple.com/privacy https://searchads.apple.com/privacy

M4v3R 10y ago
Apple already has this information, so this is only putting it to use. Plus, they continue below: > Advertisers have the ability to select user segments based on this information when setting up their campaigns to guide the delivery of their ads. However, no user segment can be smaller than 5,000 people. No individual user data may be exported from Search Ads, ensuring that only aggregate campaign delivery information is available and no individual user data is ever exposed to advertisers. So individual developers don't have access to this information.
- cageface 10y ago
  So, pretty much exactly the same as Google Search.
ihuman 10y ago
Wouldn't they have to store that information so you can redownload/refund apps and restore the in-app purchases?
AlexandrB 10y ago
I'm just happy you can disable the use of this info (see the end of that page).

palakchokshi 10y ago

This is interesting. On one hand it discontinued the iAd product and allowed Developers to go to third party Ad networks. On the other hand it provides a better experience for the user by serving ads when the intent of the user is clear and generating revenue off of it. I think if Apple prices correctly it has the potential to reduce in-app ads considerably at the same time increasing revenue for Apple because most ads in apps are to download other apps and if relevant apps are served up via Search Ads it could be a better business model than iAds.

the_common_man 10y ago

This is...insane. The whole point of the App Store is to help in discovery and I already pay a 30% cut for my app. And now they want to charge me for promoting my app in their store. This should just be a built-in part of the App Store story for the customers. This is why Apple customers pay a premium. Instead Apple sees an opportunity here to make even more money off me / the app authors? Hats off to Apple. First, they charge developers to even develop for their platform (though this has become free off late). They only allow developing on their Macs. Then they take 30% cut of apps and also in-app purchases. And now they want more money to promote stuff in their store. I don't know what to say. I am sure this will be a raging success as well :/

brian-armstrong 10y ago
Also, I think it's worth combining this news with the fact that they restricted the length of app titles in order to combat app store seo. Why not just fix search in the first place? This definitely feels like an engineering shortcoming on Apple's behalf.
Kronopath 10y ago
People are already paying to promote apps though. I've heard of plenty of app developers paying for huge numbers of app installs in bulk in order to get them to the App Store's top downloaded lists. This is Apple trying to capture some of that market and bring it away from these kinds of shady practices.
- the_common_man 10y ago
  Yes, so let it be free of charge. Why is there any cost involved here for the app developer?
  - ljk 10y ago
    Probably because Apple can..
  - joemi 10y ago
    If it were free, wouldn't everyone do it, thereby negating any benefit?

physcab 10y ago

From their ad copy they say 65% of all downloads come from app store search. If this is true, this is bad news for FB. A huge chunk of FB revenue comes from mobile app install ads bc that was the only method large app developers had to send users to their apps. I previously worked at a gaming firm that spent $5M/month on these types of ads. If App Store search is effective, this will swing ad budgets away. FB still has all the demographic and audience info, but arguably none of that is important bc all you want to do in those types of ads is attract users who spent. Apple is at the top of the chain, they can do this better than FB bc they have reliable transaction data and FB has to rely on properly instrumented SDKs, then use machine learning to figure out who "might" be a spender, then have the marketing person optimize those ads. Wouldn't you rather just say, target anyone who has previously made a purchase in a game and be done with it? Another note. I once created a niche utility app that I eventually had to takedown because as an indie dev it was difficult to rise above the ranks, even if the apps above mine were super shitty. I'm going to resurrect that app tonight bc for the first time this might be an effective form of user acquisition. FB ads were terrible bc it is not intent-based and Adwords were terrible because people don't search Google for apps then pull out their phones to download apps (or search in Safari then switch to App Store).

CatMtKing 10y ago
I only use the search when I know what app I'm looking for. Wouldn't that would drive up the numbers artificially -- as I had the intention of downloading the app before I began searching.
- zbuttram 10y ago
  I wouldn't think so, not if they're saying a percentage of all downloads come from search, as opposed to a percentage of all searches lead to a download.
  - hasbroslasher 10y ago
    But searching is the only way (sane) people find anything on the App Store. When was the last time you browsed the store until you found the cool new app you just read about? Whenever I use the App store, I'm on a mission. But it's also a mission to get free stuff, so maybe I'm not even part of the equation.

hackaflocka 10y ago

RIP Steve.

jfoster 10y ago

This will be interesting. I have a feeling that once Apple get a taste of sweet search ad revenue, they won't be able to let Google own overall search without a fight. I know Apple have been rumoured to be working on a search engine for a long time, but Siri aside, it never seemed to reach fruition. I think this could give them some renewed focus on that, though.

ksec 10y ago

I find it strange they prefer Ads as part of the solution to discovery problem. Apple App Store Search SUCKS. And I have no idea why. It is not that they cant do search ( Spotlight in Mac ), but they cant do search at scale. It is also to get some of the Ads revenue from Google and mainly facebook, where Apps install is a huge deal.

electrum 10y ago
This was actually the original idea of pay-per-click search ads. GoTo.com was founded on the idea that paid listings would be of higher quality and relevancy, because websites that pay more are likely better sites. The idea has some merit: you can't spam the search engine with completely irrelevant ads, because users will click them and thus charge the advertiser, but they'll quickly leave the site because it isn't relevant to their search. Modern pay-per-click (PPC) does yield management and ranks ads based on the click-through-rate (CTR) multiplied by the PPC. So if you create irrelevant ads that no one ever clicks on, they'll stop being shown in favor of more relevant ads with a higher CTR.

slackoverflower 10y ago

This is a huge opportunity for Apple's own ad network, iAd, to really take off. Now that they have the advertisers who are willing to spend money and the information on iOS users who actually spend money in the App Store, this makes iAd much more valuable. Apple loves to control their ecosystem so having their own ad network implemented in majority of ad-revenue-based iOS apps would work out quite well.

r00fus 10y ago
Yeah, except the part where iAd was put out to pasture: https://developer.apple.com/iad/ https://developer.apple.com/iad/ "The iAd App Network will no longer be available starting July 1, 2016"

omarchowdhury 10y ago

May the best apps win. Amen.

staticelf 10y ago

This is bad for everyone except Apples revenue and already rich app-makers. First off, it's bad for the end user since app quality has nothing to do with the amount spent on advertising. It is also bad for indie developers since they won't be able to compete with big businesses. Most likely, the indie made app you love will be harder to find since other apps will be shown instead. This sucks and is a totally greedy move from one of the largest corporations in the world.

Kiro 10y ago
As an indie game developer I disagree with you. Spending money on ads promoting my game is the only way I've managed to get any traction. I don't need to spend big money either. You need advertising or having a big network that can promote your game for free. Simply making a good game doesn't cut it unless you're lucky.
- johnydepp 10y ago
  I tend to disagree with you. First off it will decrease app disconverability. Second, many of indie developers depend on the incode from in-app advertisement. Now, after the release of AppStore Ads, the money will go directly to Apple instead of small Indie developers.
raverbashing 10y ago
However app quality in the Apple Store is significantly higher than on Android, because of their review process
- FussyZeus 10y ago
  Not sure why this is downvoted, granted it's not just because of the review process but app (and especially game) quality is night and day between Android and iOS, both because of the review process and because of the barriers to entry being decently higher for iOS. You can talk about the problems with walled gardens all day and I'd agree with the majority of what you're saying, but I gotta be honest, when you're inside the walled garden it is pretty nice that they keep the riff-raff out, in this case the riff raff being the low budget (and frequently IP infringing) crapware games.

leppr 10y ago

I wouldn't be too keen to pay for a feature that works only half the time. Fix your sh*t before trying to sell it. https://www.google.com/search?q=app+store+apple+blank+screen https://www.google.com/search?q=app+store+apple+blank+screen (Notice how the results spawn from 2012 to today)

amelius 10y ago

This time Apple has gone too far. This is a move of greed and shows complete disrespect for developers.

kalleboo 10y ago

If 65% of downloads come from search, why don't they surface their curated collections (e.g. "best photo apps") when you search for "best photo app"?

on_and_off 10y ago

Damn. I was disappointed but not surprised to see search ads appear in the play store but now in the app store too ? App discovery feels utterly broken

stuartaxelowen 10y ago
Why does app discover seem broken? Don't people just search for the problem they have and find solutions?

chrischen 10y ago

Apple has terrible App search, so this is an opportunity for Google to provide a better app search/discovery system so that Apple doesn't get away with charging for ads to fix their terrible search and discovery.