Apple not offering '12 Days of Gifts' promotion for first time in six years
Since 2008, Apple has given away songs, apps, movies and other digital goodies as part of a holiday tradition dubbed the "12 Days of Christmas," or "12 Days of Gifts" for U.S. users, but this year the company has apparently opted to call off the promotion.
Apple's 12 Days of Gifts app from 2013.
A report from Macworld earlier this week cited sources as saying Apple had no plans to participate in its yearly promo, and with no app or mention of the program in sight as of Dec. 27, the rumor is all but confirmed.
In previous years, Apple released its 12 Days of Gifts app on the iOS App Store in the weeks leading up to Christmas, usually making the first freebie available to users on Dec. 26, or Boxing Day. New gifts were unveiled every day and available for 24 hours before being replaced by the next.
Following a series of smaller items, like music singles and e-books, "12 Days" would culminate in a larger gift on Jan. 6, the most recent being the mini album "Sweet Summer Sun -- Hyde Park Live" by the Rolling Stones.
For 2013, "12 Days" brought users in the U.S., Europe and Canada select tracks from Justin Timberlake and Lorde, a copy of Oscar-winning film "Hugo" with iTunes extras, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 e-book and various iOS apps, among other goodies.
Apple's decision to break from tradition comes just one year after "12 Days" was first introduced to U.S. customers under slightly less denominational "12 Days of Gifts" branding. It is unclear if the company plans to reinstate the program in 2015.
Apple's 12 Days of Gifts app from 2013.
A report from Macworld earlier this week cited sources as saying Apple had no plans to participate in its yearly promo, and with no app or mention of the program in sight as of Dec. 27, the rumor is all but confirmed.
In previous years, Apple released its 12 Days of Gifts app on the iOS App Store in the weeks leading up to Christmas, usually making the first freebie available to users on Dec. 26, or Boxing Day. New gifts were unveiled every day and available for 24 hours before being replaced by the next.
Following a series of smaller items, like music singles and e-books, "12 Days" would culminate in a larger gift on Jan. 6, the most recent being the mini album "Sweet Summer Sun -- Hyde Park Live" by the Rolling Stones.
For 2013, "12 Days" brought users in the U.S., Europe and Canada select tracks from Justin Timberlake and Lorde, a copy of Oscar-winning film "Hugo" with iTunes extras, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 e-book and various iOS apps, among other goodies.
Apple's decision to break from tradition comes just one year after "12 Days" was first introduced to U.S. customers under slightly less denominational "12 Days of Gifts" branding. It is unclear if the company plans to reinstate the program in 2015.
Comments
The cancellation was an internal decision, not public.
At some point, someone within Apple said, "No, we will not do this." In this case, the ears that this message reached were other Apple employees.
One doesn't need to publicize everything to make it true. Life is not solely defined by press releases or Facebook posts.
You can actually do stuff without announcing it to the entire goddamned universe. Apparently a lot of people these days have forgotten that basic concept.
I guess they thought the free U2 album was enough for one year!
They need to bring the Lucky Bag promo to the US
We have gone over this before.
The Lucky Bag promo is considered an illegal lottery in most U.S. states due to local consumer protection laws, laws that were enacted in the early 20th century. The various state lotteries are voter-approved exceptions to the rule, starting with the first one in New Hampshire in 1964. State lotteries are heavily regulated.
Let us not continue to beat a dead horse. So tiresome.
American consumers aren't going to get a Lucky Bag. Just let it go and move on with your life.
I didn't say the laws can't be changed, but good luck changing them.
Of all the laws in American lawbooks, I would say this is one that doesn't urgently require attention.
Again, let it go.
If you want to gamble, just buy some AAPL in a margin brokerage account, take the winnings (assuming you have some) and buy whatever goodies you want. Based on AAPL's ROI history over the past ten years, I'd say that's a better deal than some silly Lucky Bag.
They're not going to change those laws to appease Apple.
Well for all the B.S. that Apple had to go through, with the U2 freebie, I think they'd just avoid all the bitching, complaining, whining, moaning, groaning, etc.
The basic gist of the U2 freebie was fine. The implementation was horrible as they pushed content down people's throats.
Even U2's Bono admitted that the promo was poorly executed because the band naively believed that everyone would be enthralled to receive the freebie when that was clearly not the case. It was a sad example of how rock stars are clearly out of touch with the general public.
Apple had to shoulder some of the blame because they green lighted the project.
Disclaimer: I let Apple push the album to me and I listened to the first four songs. I have not listened to the rest of the album nor have I deleted it. I own several U2 albums from the Eighties and Nineties that I periodically listen to.
Exactly. Horrible execution. And so true about Bono. I listened to the whole album and I thought it was good but not great. I like the very early U2 years too.
Google for Jackson and Muslims.
Then think about why this CHRISTmas season has no 12 Days of Gifts, which is an obvious politically correct euphemism for [B]12 Days of CHRISTmas[/B].
Tim Cook may just be looking out for the heads of Apple employees.
I shop at the Apple Store less and less. This, and the lack of Black Friday discounts (sorry, iTunes gift cards don't count) are just some of the reasons.
I did stop in the other day to ask about the sudden lack of tracking in my Health app on my iPhone 6. At 10:10 am, in a largely empty store, I was told I could make an appointment to come back at 7:00 pm. I motioned to the empty Genius Bar counter at the back of the store and asked if they were really that backed up ten minutes after opening, but was told by the guy in the festive-red Apple shirt that I could take it or leave it.
If this a sign of the Angela Ahrendts era, you can color me unimpressed.
I don't think the employee's suggestion was unreasonable. From what I can tell their staff are kept busy. I like that I can make an appointment on pretty much any device in about 2 minutes and I'll get seen at that time. I don't feel that walk-ins should be able to take over the time slot I planned for my Genius appointment.
They need to bring the Lucky Bag promo to the US
Do you really think it would be successful in the US? It's basically a $343 lottery ticket, and I don't think many people would want to spend that much on a lottery ticket. Luck is a much bigger thing in Asian cultures.