Andrew Melder

Today has been a day of letting go apparently. Cancelled a few subscriptions, disabled a few social accounts such as Instagram, Threads and soon LinkedIn.

I do this every so often to just re-adjust and evaluate what is actually useful to me. I’ve felt a bit too much online with Threads recently (which is the only reason why I have an Instagram account). Now looking at what else can be eliminated or paired back, simplifying my activities, wallet and mindset.

Apple launched a new sports app to help users keep track of live scores from sports games; sounds harmless right?

Well the dangerous part comes in their decision to include sports betting odds in the app.

Gambling is becoming an increasing stain in the modern world of sports, so Apple’s decision to include it in the Sports app is a little concerning for a company who’s brand value is tied a lot to the perception of protecting and doing what’s best for users.

It does feel like this addition maybe leading to something more down the line. With Apple increasing getting into the sports streaming game, are they looking to open up a new revenue stream in the sports gambling market too?

You may ask why; Apple are the richest company in the world, they don’t need to sell out their values to make more money.

Ahhh but they are just another company. Like many other companies today, they are under pressure from investors to show increasing growth; despite that likely not being sustainable or good for humanity in general.

Like many other companies are experiencing post-COVID, revenues are stagnating. Other tech companies such as Microsoft, Meta and Google have been trying to appease the investors by cutting costs to maintain profit. Disguised as making companies more efficient, the technology layoffs are primarily driven by cost cutting.

Apple already runs a pretty tight ship workforce wise; they don’t have the “luxury” of trying to cut costs via a reduced workforce. So they must find new avenues to make money.

I feel over the next few years, Apple’s brand value of being a consumer champion will be tested as the investor pressure for increased growth is applied and Apple’s existing hardware divisions stagnate.

I don’t trust Apple and their products because I feel they want what’s best for me personally; I choose them because they have the most to lose if they break the trust attached to their brand.

As they need to get more into the services game to increase revenue; that customer-first trust built into the brand will start to evaporate as clear plays to extract more money from customer base come into play. Just think of all the ads you see on the App Store from a company that put on such a crusade against advertising practices of other tech companies?

I sincerely hope Apple don’t get into sports gambling, an increasing plague in our society. But putting betting odds in their app does feel like they are testing the waters of acceptability to keep revenue options open in the future.