Axios: Apple is selling Apple News ads directly for the first time.

Apple has started selling its own advertising inventory for Apple News, two sources familiar with the effort told Axios. It's pitching new ad units that it hopes will maximize revenue for itself and its publishing partners.

I've been meaning to write about this for a while now, and since this popped up on Axios, now is a good time as ever. So here are my very brief thoughts.

I really think Apple should get out of the ads business, starting with the App Store. I find it corrupting, ugly, distasteful, and most of all an anti-premium experience.

Apple has always tried to project a premium experience, and seeing ads in the App Store just smells of desperation to me. I don't understand why they would want or need them? Apple already takes a commission from apps, and seemingly makes a good amount of money doing so. Having dumb ads feels petty and continues to breed a feeling that Apple will try to make any amount of money any time they can. Can't they just sit back and make something nice without squeezing every dime out of it?

And I, along with many other people, associate ads with tracking. Why mix that in at all when the App Store already has a reputation for harboring scammy apps?

I wish they'd just stop. It's damaging to their reputation and I don't think having ads is worth whatever revenue they are generating from it.

Via Daring Fireball.