Last year, Apple celebrated the holidays with a fantastic app called 12 Days of Gifts. Like a digital advent calendar, the 12 Days of Gift apps handed out free music, TV shows, movies, books, and apps over the holiday period.
But this year, we haven’t seen the 12 Days of Gifts app, at least so far. Is Apple canceling it? What’s the hold up?
Last year, the 12 Days of Gifts app debuted on December 9th. If Apple followed the same release schedule, it should have landed on the App Store yesterday, and yet it’s still nowhere to be seen.
Of course, being 24 hours late doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple plans on ending a holiday tradition. The 12 Days of Gifts app usually doesn’t start handing out freebies until after the holidays, from December 26th to January 6th.
But s Arron Hirst at RazorianFly notes, Apple seems to be playing the holidays a bit differently this year: for example, by skipping the online Cyber Monday sale, and instead choosing to donate a portion of the profits from the products it sold to the Global Fund.
So will we see the 12 Days of Gifts app this year? Only time will tell. Would you be upset to not see it arrive?
Source: Razorianfly
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
10 responses to “Is Apple planning on being a Scrooge this year?”
I was able to download it from the app store yesterday, but the app declares that it is finished. I’d like to see it back, since some of the gifts I really enjoyed.
John, it starts after the christmas, on the 26th… at least thats how it was for the last 2 years! Check the image… http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/iphone/free-apps-free-music-apples-12-days-gifts-giveaway-day-8-pictures-lily-paige-toon-3493145/
A little premature, no? Apple generally pushed App Store updates on Thursdays, and tomorrow is still more than a full two weeks before Christmas, so it’s a little early to assume they’re not going to launch it at all on the basis that they haven’t just yet.
I downloaded everything last year and kept absolutely nothing. It was a way to get people used to the idea of getting apps, I suppose. Worthless.
It’s probably attitudes like “worthless” that started Apple thinking that trying to give people something just to have their faces rubbed in it……. is pointless.
I think I only downloaded one thing last year, and I don’t even have it anymore. Not a big deal if they don’t bring it back.
I will only use 12 Days of Gifts if the free stuff is actually good. I don’t mind if it doesn’t run this year.
remember what happened when people got the U2 album ? damn if you do, damn if you don’t
We got a free U2 album already this year, what more do you want?!
WINKY SMILIE
I tried to search for it in AppStore, not there. It was in my previous downloads so went to that… Says no longer open.. Hmm then again didn’t every one think the 12 days of gifts was to pump ppl up to buy the new gen of iPod/iPhone that came out too around the time… Maybe they don’t see a reason to do it this year… Plus the App reviews were all close to 1 star or bad reviews…