https://kensegall.com/2025/11/07/apple-is-crossing-a-steve-jobs-red-line/

Some time ago (1999-ish), agency chief Lee Clow and I were invited to a hastily scheduled meeting with Steve and his top lieutenants. The topic was building advertising into the Mac system software.

At that time, customers paid $125 for the annual upgrade to the Mac OS. It was proposed that Apple offer two flavors—an ad-free version for $125 and a free version subsidized by ads. Something for everyone! Free choice!

A number of ways to integrate ads were discussed.

One was to show a cool video from a respected company (such as Nike) every time the Mac starts up. Another was to place ads in the OS contextually. For example, an “out of ink” notification might contain an ad for an ink supplier.

After spirited debate, there was no immediate decision. But days later, Steve told me he had killed the idea. His bottom line was that it degraded the pure, elegant, clean interface that Mac users love.

It didn’t matter that customers would be free to choose a version with or without ads. He didn’t want any user to see the OS polluted in this way.

He was protecting Apple’s crown jewels. He wouldn’t sacrifice the purity of the Mac experience to make a few extra bucks. He avoided the slippery slope by refusing to step onto it.

Discussie op HN.

From that point on, Steve would go on to spend lavishly on things that improved the experience, and he would reject—often brutally—any idea that diluted or harmed the experience.
That was Steve’s red line. Cross it if you dare.

Het is nog maar de vraag of de advertenties in Apple Maps de ervaring minder zullen maken, of juist beter.

Maken de alternatieven die bij de zoekopdrachten in de App Store nu al getoond worden de ervaring minder, of juist beter?

@GeorgeM: Interessante vraag. Ik heb recent voor mezelf (en familieleden) de nieuwe Whatsapp app voor de Apple Watch geïnstalleerd via de App Store op de Apple Watch. In het zoekveld heb ik ingegeven: Whatsapp. De eerste drie resultaten die ik kreeg waren Whatsapp-achtige apps met in-app purchases en groene logos die erg op die van de echte Whatsapp leken. Als je niet oplet kies je zo de verkeerde. Conclusie voor dit N=1 voorbeeld: mindere ervaring.