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Comment by troupo | Hacker News Reader

It's worse than that. Apple will let users set a default maps app... only in the EU https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/03/14/dma-compliance-default-ma...

The pettiness is off the charts

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It's not pettiness, its just business. They want the lock in, they want the ad views they want the user data. Don't anthropomorphize your lawnmower.

Thus far Apple Maps doesn't have ads. There are rumors they may ad them (pun intended), but I don't think their motivations for steering people towards Apple Maps are primarily monetary.

I think they are. Maybe not directly as you point out but there are lots of indirect reasons that don't seem that far fetched.

1. Using Apple Maps makes the switching cost to other devices (that don't have Apple Maps) higher.

2. Having more users makes any future monetization more valuable. I understand that there doesn't yet appear to be any direct monetization but I very much expect to see it at some point.

3. Removing traffic from competitors hurts them making their product relatively better the the competitors.

Agreed, I guess I should have said it's not directly about making money from Maps, it's all indirect business reasons.

Same thing with Apple operating iMessage for free without ads... they don't care about monetizing iMessage but it's also not about altruism.

Also having that sweet sweet user data, and simultaneously depriving your competitor of it

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