I don't think any of those are better than .com because there is a difference between an extension that offers ambiguity vs a formulated read "across the dot" like reading something that takes the extension as a recognizable specific term across the dot. The examples you gave could match any number of extensions and be killer but be slayed by dot-com.
You really almost need like a domain hack for it to be superior, eg. removing the need for extra characters:
apocolypsenow(.)com
vs
apocolypse(.)now
Do you see what I mean? Everyone knows that term, being made famous by a movie. They are natural together. I bet the dot-com would still be preferred though because we have been conditioned.
Now, being introduced back in the day at the same time as dot-com this is an interesting argument but we'll never know. 30 years too late now we battling.
I think Apocalypse.now reads much better than ApolalypseNow.com. And while Apocalypse.com is nice, it has a totally different meaning (and is likely either in use or for sale for 7 figures+). I think you mistake the dot anyway. When you tell someone your address you have to say it no matter what. It's just whether you add the extra "now.com" or just say "dotnow". I do agree, prior to saying dot it makes more sense to say ApocalypseNow vs Apocalypse.now. However, that is not the end of the sentence. ~57% of all sites are .com these days (Bob Hayes showed a study on another thread). So you are required to finish the sentence. Once you add "dot com" it muddies it where the dictionary term is better and clearer imo.
From a new startup deciding, they have the following options:
Apocalypse.com (if avail it's $1mm+)
Apocalypse.now
ApocalypseNow.com
ApocalypseNow.io
ApocalypseNow.xyz
ApocalypseNow.info
And so on...
.now is the clear winner to me (if I were starting a business). Although, if I were consulting to that business, I would tell them to buy ApocalypseNow.com and forward it to Apocalypse.now if it is for sale. But it wouldnt stop me from suggesting .now if it weren't.
Having bought many .nows and researched each one, I can tell you that ~75% are not for sale (taken and either in use - or just don't resolve). Which means for 75% of the cases where a small business wants to name itself an action verb+now - it has to choose between:
Apocalypse.now
ApocalypseNow.io
ApocalypseNow.xyz
ApocalypseNow.info
etc
I still believe it beats the .com in the other 25% of cases - but primarily for action verbs and certain nouns/adjectives. For example, Sigma.now is not as good as Sigma.com and is no better than Sigma.io, Sigma.xyz, etc. Sigma is a noun, but not the type that fits well with .now (it's not an action verb or a thing I want right now). However, Pizza.now, although a noun does work. What do you want? Pizza. When do you want it, now! Obviously PizzaNow.com is good too, but in 75% of the cases, it's taken and/or in use. But even if avail, Pizza.now is super clean to read, shorter and more obvious.
All that said, I realize there is a counter point and it is as you say... some won't like reading across the dot. But many of the businesses using gTLDs such as .me, .us, .ing, .ly, suggest otherwise.
