Roger Fingas
Apple is beginning to push fullscreen pop-up ads for the iPhone 6s to people opening the App Store app on some older iPhone models, according to a rush of user complaints.
The ad presents a graphic with the slogan "ridiculously powerful," and highlighted options to "learn more" or "upgrade now," according to posts on sites like Twitter and Reddit. An option to skip to the regular App Store interface is found in the upper-right corner of the screen.
The pop-ups appear to be targeted at people using an iPhone 5s or earlier, and may have been enabled with Tuesday's release of iOS 9.2.
Apple has previously marketed new devices through things like App Store banners and collections, but this is the first time Apple has temporarily prevented people from using an app simply for the sake of marketing — at least when excluding the Apple Music sign-up screen seen after launching the iOS Music app for the first time. Such ads are relatively common in third-party apps.
Apple is presumably eager to fuel iPhone sales during the winter holidays, since the device is its most important product and the holidays its most lucrative sales season.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
77 Comments
Seems like this should have only been targeted at iPhone 5 or older, given that customers can currently purchase the 5s as the entry-level iPhone model. That's kinda like buying a low-end/entry level model from a car manufacturer, open up the on-screen owner's manual, and it has a pop-up recommending you by the high-end/premium model. lol Though maybe they are looking up the user's associated device profile and determining the age of the phone and only showing it for phones of a certain age.
And Cook slowly converts Apple to political activism and increasingly desperate methods of support, shipping unfinished products, etc.. This is the top of the slide.
Would Jobs have allowed this?
No.
"Huh-uh. No, siree. No, ma'am. No, no, no, no." - Sissy from Sordid Lives
I can't wait to see how some of the usual suspects on this forum defend this. Should be entertaining.