Apple's week June 20: this ad killed my family
It's one of those weeks where some things happened, but none of them blew up in particular. OpenAI is in legal trouble from a trademark holder over Jony Ive's io name, and macOS Tahoe beta 2 fixed the Finder icon.
However, I want to zoom in on one incident in particular.
Apple's F1® ad
If you've read the article or listened to the latest AppleInsider Podcast, you've already heard me discuss this at length, but turns out, there's even more to say that I've learned since.
I brought up Uber Eats a few times, and some have challenged that comparison. I've reflected on it and stand by the comparison, but I see the flaw in my argument.
The point I wanted to make was Uber telling people about a third-party restaurant wasn't the same as Apple telling users about a first-party film in theaters. However, it's not a very good argument, because at the end of the day, it is a notification users didn't ask for being sent to them.
That, and Uber Eats now has a toggle for turning off notifications with promotional material, while users won't have that option in Wallet until iOS 26. Apple should never have sent out such a notification without first giving the users the ability to toggle off such notifications.
The move from Apple to promote F1 via the Wallet app is a trust-eroding exercise.
I get it. These arguments make sense, and from an Apple nerd point of view, they are totally justified, if the reactions are a bit extreme. Apple should be treating its access to users with more respect.
That said, I don't think it is that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Other vendors do much worse, and no, that doesn't excuse Apple; it just means these reactions shouldn't be so extreme.
At the end of the day, users need to be informed of opportunities within the ecosystem. Whether that's saving money with Apple One or getting AppleCare before it expires, it's a useful feature that general users appreciate.
iOS 26 will definitely include more promotional material in the Wallet app and a way to turn that off. I, for one, will be keeping the toggle on because I like knowing how I can save money and take advantage of the Apple ecosystem.
I'll cede the argument to those that are more passionate about this as far as "Apple's betrayal." I personally want to take advantage of offers around Apple's services, and I welcome the introduction of promotions in the Wallet app in iOS 26, but I understand my enthusiasm isn't felt by everyone.
Though, let's be fair, no one else really cares. The nerds might be raging about this, but for everyone else, it's just another ad to either take advantage of or dismiss. I understand the bad optics of this, but also, I understand Apple's need to tell customers about deals.
It's a tricky problem. I won't pretend to have a solution, but I'm also not feeling the outrage others have exhibited.
