To clarify: When you pay to remove ads, you're still paying indirectly for the production and delivery of ads. Just because you didn't see an advertisement from

To clarify: When you pay to remove ads, you're still paying indirectly for the production and delivery of ads. Just because you didn't see an advertisement from Apple doesn't mean you're not going to buy from them. So you now pay the cost of producing and delivering ads _as well as_ a premium so that you won't have to see them. It's like paying for the construction of a guillotine and then pay to not have to stick your head in it. Of course this is a simplified view: Not all companies benefit equally from advertising. Not all companies spend equally on ads, etc...