It’s December 24th, and there’s no sign of Apple’s annual iTunes 12 Days Of Gifts. We’re calling it: it’s not happening this year. But why not?
In case you haven’t kept up with it in previous years, Apple’s 12 Days Of Gifts App was Apple’s digital advent calendar. Landing the day after Christmas, it handed out free music, TV shows, movies, books and apps over the post-holiday period.
Back on December 10th, we wrote that it was strange that Apple hadn’t released the app yet. In previous years, Apple released the 12 Days of Gifts app by no later than December 9th. In the days leading up to Christmas, the app would simply give a countdown of days until the first freebie dropped.
I think we can conclusively say that if Apple planned on releasing the 12 Days of Gifts app again this year, it would already have dropped. It’s curious, though, that Apple seems to be opting to not release it this year. Why?
One theory is that this is a reaction to the PR debacle Apple experienced earlier this year when they gave away a free U2 album to every iTunes user. But the circumstances there were very different: the 12 Days of Gifts app is an opt-in experience, where as the free U2 album was forced on every single user, regardless of whether they wanted it or not. If Apple held back 12 Days of Gifts this year because of the U2 misstep, that really seems misguided to me.
Either way, it’s not like Apple to be a scrooge around the Holidays, and it seems like a shame that they are seemingly taking this tack this year. What do you think?
Via: Reddit
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.
28 responses to “Why did Apple choose to be a Grinch this year?”
Why does this world think that if someone or somebody gives a gift they are obligated to give more? Shame on you for even thinking this. Be grateful for what you have!
No offense but I think you’re reaching here…
I don’t think he’s reaching at all.
Years ago, I worked with a guy who used to make brisket a lot in the summer and he’d often bring some into work to share with everybody. After a while, it was expected, rather than appreciated, so he stopped bringing it in.
Really, are people badmouthing Apple for not giving things away?
Old and wise eh? Or just smoking yer own dope? The gist of the article is about finding an answer why Apple chose not to do the 12 day gifting, not if they are the Grinch. School was a long long time ago in a galaxy far away.
if they were upset over the U2 thing, then that is absolutely hilarious.
Bah humbug
A digital Advent calendar would occur before Christmas….
Just sayin’
12 days of Christmas is offiaclly the 12 days after Christmas.
Perhaps they’re just fed up with the tidal wave of whining that occurs when the kiddies don’t get what they want. “A book? What am I supposed to do with a book?”.
People usually did a lot of bad reviews to the apps or content which was given away in this program, because it was not what they expected, they wanted a better or different gift, the app had some in-app purchases or whatever.
So given how ungrateful people were, I think it is the right move to cancel this program.
Wow! I didn’t know it was that bad. I guess one rotten apple spoils the bunch.
Yeah, I’d like to think Apple specifically decided not to do it this year based on the 1 star feedback from ingrates last year. I couldn’t believe some of the comments I read from people receiving those “free gifts.” Sure, I only downloaded say half of the gifts, and only kept half of those. But I was grateful all the same. The message this year is clear, Apple is not obliged to run that 12 Days program, and folks aren’t entitled to jack squat from the App Store. I say bravo.
Fuck You Apple!
Merry Christmas to all!
Yeah fuck you Apple.
When they give away the apps, people complain. When they don’t, people complain.
Do you see the pattern I am seeing?
Go Amazon android – they have free apps/games from today.
Given the Billions and Billions Apple rakes in each quarter and the premium price they put on their slave labor products (I have a 6+, MBP Mid-2014, iPad Air 2 and Airport Extreme, upgraded this year so yeah I support their business) so they build them cheap and sell them high. Standard business model for any successful company.
And yet Apple has always found a way to offer something extra, one more thing, a small token of thanks (I do mean small, Black Friday sales are a Black Friday Joke). Perhaps Tim was too busy counting the money this year.
There is time, perhaps Tim will secretly push “The Interview” into our iTunes accounts like they did with U2 Album (big fan of their music up until the “Nuclear Bomb Album . . . crap onward).
Just a thought and Happy Holidays to all.
I was looking forward to this and I’m very disappointed. Especially since they did realease 12 days of Christmas for Europe and not the US!
I’m not sure where you got that it was released in Europe but here is a link to an article in MacWorld UK about the fact it is not happening in the UK.
http://tinyurl.com/p6dvzho
12 days of gift.. Not Christmas :)
The Apple Store App used to give away some good things like books and paid apps. You would get a redeem code that would get you the item. Since the IOS8 update of the Apple Store app the freebies have disappeared. At least we get a book, song and app of the week free. Merry Christmas.
Wow I guess some people aren’t content with free weekly music and app that apple gives away…. People just doesn’t realize how much Apple gives now then it previously did. Happy Holidays everyone..
Free weekly music? Last week’s song is still on the site
We got Christmas early: a U2 Album.
Every year when Apple released the 12 days of Christmas the reaction was the same. “Rubbish music” “rubbish apps/games” people moaned about free stuff. Basically Apple can’t win. People whine when they give stuff away and whine when they don’t.
Everybody always complaining about those apps like they are shit etc.. Now you get nothing here we go
Because of the ungrateful people that complained about a FREE album (if you didn’t want it, simply delete it and shut up) it makes sense they aren’t doing it. All them people would just complain again about what pathetic apps they would be giving away.
um, theres a huge difference, apple forced upon a album that a lot of people didnt want, and if you have automatic downloads, it downloaded to your devices without consent, and even if its deleted, its still associated to your account, whether you want it or not, thats hardly “ungrateful”
Isn’t it a reflection of the reality that most apps worth having are now “Get” (I.e. Freemium) which deceives the point and asides from Home Alone I can’t recall when the choice of music, books and films was well received by the consumer.
Whilst the theory of free stuff is something I miss, in practice I don’t feel I’m missing out this year.