One seems to be a free trial, the other a paid service. Is the complaint that if you cancel your free trial it ends right away instead of running for a year?
They are canceling the trial - the user wants it to end!
You have no evidence to support that most users would not prefer the current arrangement where they don't have to come back and resubscribe upon expiration.
Staying subscribed is most likely the most desired outcome for most users. Hardly a dark pattern just because someone wanted to maximize their free time.
Note what the complaint is, that they lose access to the free product ... kind of ridiculous the more you think about it....
I agree that this is a step back for Apple, we should keep the outrage for things that merit it.
That being said, this “1 year free trial” of Apple TV+ is fairly ludicrous. It’s more like a public beta because they know that the service doesn’t yet have enough content to justify its cost, and the promo users are helping them create the perception of a popular service.
I wonder when they'll turn Siri to an agent trying to upsell/keep you. Fast forward to the above date:
"This is your reminder to cancel Apple TV plus. But you'll be missing Season 2 of The Morning Show, airing in 4 days. I can offer you a subscription for half price, do we have a deal?"
The choice Apple presents a user of a free trial is not predatory, it's just not "very generous". A 1 year trial, though is super generous, even if you can't schedule the cancelation.
As much as I enjoy Apple products, it’s very clear this is just another example of the privilege they provide themselves compared to third-parties. It doesn’t affect me since I’m not subscribing to any of Apple’s service offerings despite using all Apple products, thus it doesn’t bother me either, but I can see why some might be.
