You’re imagining a “greatest aspiration” that doesn’t exist. macOS has an iCloud login button in the Settings app and that’s about it.

Sorry, but you're wrong. Music-dot-app is a great example. Check out all the ways it tries to upsell you even if you just want to play local files: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anrB6fP1WeQ&t=65s

- opens to a full-page Apple Music subscription service ad on first run.

- search functionality defaults to “Apple Music” instead of “Local Library” (or “iTunes Store”) even when the user has no active subscription.

- Apple Music subscription upsell banner ad along the bottom of the search results screen, that stays on screen as you scroll the results pane.

Check out at the end when he demos Music-dot-app's Settings pane changing to include CD-ripping settings when and only when a CD drive is available, something they could also do and chose not to for Apple Music subscription service when the user isn't subscribed.

Don't use the Music app. It's fully uninstallable, I don't think I've ever launched it. There are plenty of third party solutions available. I really don't consider Music.app to be a core OS feature.

Yeah no shit. I use Feishin personally: https://github.com/jeffvli/feishin

But I think it is very fair to judge the OOTB experience as a whole as a reflection of the company's priorities.

you are arguing with people who do actually use Macs by providing some random videos on youtube. How does that make sense?

> people who do actually use Macs

— Sent from my (work) MacBook Pro M3

macOS seriously never nags you about services. Service nags aren't classy. You can credibly accuse Apple of plenty of things, but having a lack of class isn't one.

My screenshots directory says you are wrong: https://i.ibb.co/cKjL8qcG/Screenshot-2025-02-18-at-09-07-06....

My last (and first, and only) iPhone was even worse. At one point the Settings app had no fewer than three paid-service nags at the top that I had to scroll through to even get to the first actual setting.

Storage almost full: enable iCloud Backup!

Try Apple Music, first month free!!

Activate your Apple News+ free trial!!! https://i.ibb.co/Cp275qQ9/news.webp

Image Playground isn’t a service, it’s a free local image generation model. But I’ll grant you that the News+ thing is kind of annoying. I wouldn’t call it a nag, though - it shows in the Settings anpp after you buy a new device that includes free months, while they’re still valid, then it goes away forever.

> while they’re still valid, then it goes away forever.

It actually stays, even after expired. Then if you tap the "two weeks free!" it says "expired, so sorry, but do want to pay us a slightly discounted rate instead of free?"

Then the alert went away.

Super scummy.

Source: happened a few months ago with the promo on my newish iphone 17 when I thought I'd try appletv out to watch pluribus.

This has not been my experience. I’ve never taken them up on any of those offers, and none of them are still visible in Settings on any of my devices.