Apple tells devs that location-based advertising is a no-no
In a recent post to its iPhone Developers news site, Apple warned developers not to use location data to serve location-specific ads in their apps. The move comes shortly after Apple acquired its own mobile advertising firm, Quattro Wireless.
Apple wants developers to use CoreLocation, the API that allows developers to find your location based on GPS coordinates and other data, to give users “beneficial information.” This concept is at work when Yelp shows you nearby restaurants, or when RunKeeper tracks your jogging progress on a map.
However, the company warns, “[i]f your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”
Apple doesn’t appear to be opposed to location-based targeted advertising in principle. It has filed patents for location-based targeted advertising, especially in relation to offering currently playing songs or videos at a particular location for purchase via iTunes.
It may be that Apple merely wants to avoid giving out iPhone user’s location data to third parties, especially without permission, with no guarantee about how the data is used. But it also stands to reason that Apple may be planning its own location-based advertising service based on its recent acquisition of Quattro Wireless. It would be unfair of Apple to keep that data all to itself, however. The company did not respond to our request for comment this morning.
etc: AdWeek has collected every "Get a Mac" ad to ever exist in one spot, from 2006 to the present. There are 66 TV spots; check ‘em out to see how the campaign has evolved.
AdWeek has collected every “Get a Mac” ad to ever exist in one spot, from 2006 to the present. There are 66 TV spots; check ‘em out to see how the campaign has evolved.
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Apple looking to spend some of its multi-billion bankroll
Apple has made a few high-profile acquisitions as of late, including mobile ad firm Quattro (which was Apple’s second choice after Google scooped up AdMob) and the music streaming service Lala. Now that Apple has hired a former Goldman Sachs VP to manage its acquisitions, the company may be looking to spend some of the billions it has raked in over the last several years.
Apple hired Goldman Sachs investment banker Adrian Perica to negotiate acquisition deals late last year. Several sources told BusinessWeek that prior to his hiring, no one at Apple was in charge of brokering such deals. Instead, executives were responsible for pitching possible companies to Jobs, and to negotiate deals on their own if Jobs gave his approval. “It was super ad hoc,” a former Apple executive said.
Apple can put some blame on losing the deal for AdMob, which Apple had been quietly negotiating until Google dropped $750 million on the company, on this ad hoc acquisition approach. But Perica was there to make sure the same problem didn’t happen with Apple’s buyout of Lala. Google, along with other companies, was also eyeing Lala as a possible acquisition. Apple managed to broker a successful deal in a matter of weeks instead of the two or three months that such deals usually require.
With Perica on board, nearly $34 billion of cash on hand, and its stock flirting with an all-time high, Apple is in a position to cherry-pick companies for innovative technology or brain power whenever it suits the company. It picked up Fingerworks, along with cofounder Wayne Westerman, to corner the necessary multitouch technology for the iPhone and a possible tablet. More recently, it acquired fabless chip designer PA Semi specifically for its knack of making extremely low-power designs—great for mobile products of all sorts, especially iPods and iPhones. It even bought the leading European DAW software maker Emagic to complement its pro video application Final Cut Pro, which Apple had originally acquired from Macromedia.
However, don’t expect Apple to suddenly move in and pounce on large companies like Nintendo or Adobe, as some analysts have suggested in the past. Instead, the company will focus on relatively unknown companies and startups. “The pattern I’ve seen with Apple is that they buy very, very small companies,” Rich Geruson, a board member for seven tech startups, told BusinessWeek.
Week in Apple: tablet rumors pick up, Mac mini server review, DRM
The first week of 2010 is finally over, and with it came a new wave of Apple tablet rumors, iPhone on Verizon rumors, patent applications, and buy-outs. Topped off with our review of the Mac mini with Snow Leopard server, it was a pretty busy week! Read on if you need to catch up.
Antacid tablet: As the (rumored) year of the Apple tablet dawns, John Siracusa offers his predictions. Expect the expected.
A review of the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server: Apple’s Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is aimed squarely at small businesses that, for any number of reasons, need or prefer to host their core Internet services in-house without breaking the bank. Ars kicks the tires on the new combo to see if Apple has another hit on its hands.
iTablet rumors: March arrival, Verizon 3G, UI learning curve: As the end of January—and an expected unveiling of Apple’s long-rumored tablet— approaches, we are starting to hear more details about what’s coming from Apple, and when.
A look at Apple’s love for DRM and consumer lock-ins: Apple makes great products—you’ll get no argument from us. But Apple also likes keeping tight control over those products, and if anyone outside of Apple’s blessed circle attempts to get in, the company is more than willing to try to use (or abuse) the law to its advantage.
CDMA iPhone may finally ship on Verizon in summer 2010: Verizon might launch a CDMA-equipped iPhone this summer if it can agree on pricing with Apple. While consumers would benefit from a choice of carriers, a CDMA iPhone still seems like a pipe dream.
Apple: pixels as touch sensors for brighter, thinner screens: How can you make a touchscreen thinner and brighter at the same time? Use the pixels as touch sensors, says Apple.
AppZapper 2 for Mac hands-on: beautiful UI, same old tricks: AppZapper has always been a fun app for the Mac that helps users delete unused applications and their associated files. Now, AppZapper 2 has seen the light of day. Is it worth the $13? That all depends on what you value.
Apple acquires its own mobile ad firm to one-up Google: Apple has acquired Quattro Wireless after Google outbid it for rival AdMob in a mobile advertising tit for tat.
Android closing in on iPhone in user interest, satisfaction: The iPhone still leads the pack when it comes to interest from potential iPhone buyers and satisfaction from current buyers, but Android is quickly closing the gap and users seem to be very interested.
Apple flirts with a 3D interface for mobile devices: A recent patent application may provide a clue to the “unexpected” UI for Apple’s yet-to-be-introduced tablet.
Nokia adds additional lawsuit in patent catfight with Apple: In addition to its complaint filed last week with the ITC, Nokia has filed an additional patent infringement suit against Apple in federal district court.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Apple acquires its own mobile ad firm to one-up Google
Not long after Google announced it had acquired mobile advertising firm AdMob, Apple has announced the acquisition of its own mobile advertising firm, Quattro Wireless. The announcement came today just after All Things D broke the rumor that the deal was imminent. Quattro cofounder and CEO Andrew Miller has been named vice president of mobile advertising for Apple as part of the deal.
Apple paid a reported $275 million for Quattro, a much better deal than Google ended up paying for rival mobile ad firm AdMob. Google ponied up $750 million in an attempt to outbid Apple, which had also reportedly made an offer for the company. That price is approximately 16.7 times AdMob’s sales, “the sort of price rarely seen in takeover deals since the heady days of the dot-com boom,” according to Reuters.
Google contends that its acquisition of AdMob is meant to complement its own search- and Web-based advertising, though it’s worth noting that AdMob ads are featured prominently in many free, ad-supported iPhone applications. The FTC is currently investigating the deal between AdMob and Google, and there is an implication that Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recently vacated position on Apple’s board of directors may have made him privy to Apple’s plans to move into mobile advertising.
Meanwhile, shortly after Google announced a partnership with streaming music service Lala, Apple announced that it had acquired the company. It is believed that Apple plans to incorporate Lala into iTunes and extend the iTunes Store with streaming-based options in addition to downloads. In the meantime, the deal with Google remains in place.
Given Apple’s foray into cloud-based services such as MobileMe and iWork.com, and the company’s integration of services with its mobile devices, it’s certain that the acquisition of Quattro will fit into Apple’s growing mobile strategy. The company may be leveraging mobile advertising opportunities for a long-rumored tablet product expected to be announced later this month. It could also be offering a way to advertise on the iPhone. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on its mobile advertising plans.
With Google’s plan to offer the Nexus One smartphone directly to consumers, its Android smartphone OS, and its array of online services and online advertising, it’s clear that the rivalry between Apple and Google is kicking into high gear.
Brief: Apple acquires its own mobile ad firm to one-up Google
Not long after Google announced it had acquired mobile advertising firm AdMob, Apple has announced the acquisition of its own mobile advertising firm, Quattro Wireless. The announcement came today just after All Things D broke the rumor that the deal was imminent. Quattro cofounder and CEO Andrew Miller has been named vice president of mobile advertising for Apple as part of the deal.
Apple paid a reported $275 million for Quattro, a much better deal than Google ended up paying for rival mobile ad firm AdMob. Google ponied up $750 million in an attempt to outbid Apple, which had also reportedly made an offer for the company. That price is approximately 16.7 times AdMob’s sales, “the sort of price rarely seen in takeover deals since the heady days of the dot-com boom,” according to Reuters.
Google contends that its acquisition of AdMob is meant to complement its own search- and Web-based advertising, though it’s worth noting that AdMob ads are featured prominently in many free, ad-supported iPhone applications. The FTC is currently investigating the deal between AdMob and Google, and there is an implication that Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recently vacated position on Apple’s board of directors may have made him privy to Apple’s plans to move into mobile advertising.
Meanwhile, shortly after Google announced a partnership with streaming music service Lala, Apple announced that it had acquired the company. It is believed that Apple plans to incorporate Lala into iTunes and extend the iTunes Store with streaming-based options in addition to downloads. In the meantime, the deal with Google remains in place.
Given Apple’s foray into cloud-based services such as MobileMe and iWork.com, and the company’s integration of services with its mobile devices, it’s certain that the acquisition of Quattro will fit into Apple’s growing mobile strategy. The company may be leveraging mobile advertising opportunities for a long-rumored tablet product expected to be announced later this month. It could also be offering a way to advertise on the iPhone. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on its mobile advertising plans.
With Google’s plan to offer the Nexus One smartphone directly to consumers, its Android smartphone OS, and its array of online services and online advertising, it’s clear that the rivalry between Apple and Google is kicking into high gear.
Brief: Advertising on iPhone may be changing, but it’s not pretty
San Francisco-based mobile advertising company Greystripe says that it sees 10 to 20 percent higher clickthrough rates (CTR) on the iPhone than with traditional Web advertising, according to a recent interview with VentureBeat. In a partnership with traditional Web advertiser Tribal Fusion, Greystripe reformatted 500 of Tribal Fusion’s traditional Web-based advertisements and made them into in-game ads for the iPhone. The formatted ads reportedly showed clickthrough from “more than one” out of every 100 viewers.
The ads are audio/video based; a user is presented with a screen and the choice to play or skip. The ads being served on the iPhone were the same as the ones being served to non-mobile devices. The only major difference was that Greystripe’s ads take up the entire screen on an iPhone, displaying a somewhat invasive experience in a way that the company compares to network television advertising.
This news is practically the opposite of results from a study we wrote about in September. That study, by Chitika, claimed iPhone users were the worst of all mobile users at handing out the clicks at an abysmal 0.3 percent rate. Further, it went on to say that mobile users in general were much stingier with their clicks than non-mobile users. Greystripe’s findings, however, were that iPhone CTR were higher than non-mobile users, and it goes directly against the results of the earlier study.
The variance in the findings can probably be chalked up to a few different factors. The Chitika study examined ads that were text- and image-based, as well as in-application ads. They were likely not as invasive as the ones being served by Greystripe. After all, when it’s in your face in such a way, it’s going to get some of your attention. We also wonder just how many of the clickthroughs were unintentional. How many were based on a user trying to skip the ad and accidentally activating it? The number may be small, but frankly, so is the clickthrough rate.
It’s difficult to know just how accurate numbers like these are, as they were released by a company that is in the ad business (vague terms like “more than one out of every 100 viewers” make us wonder). However, if these numbers pan out, the ever-expanding mobile market and the increasing number of platforms with app stores may mean that these types of advertisements are, in fact, the future.
Apple walks away with six AdWeek accolades for past decade
AdWeekMedia has announced a number of awards for the best in advertising and branding for the first decade of the millennium. It’s probably no surprise to most of our readers that Apple was on the receiving end of five of those awards, and had its hand in another product that also received recognition.
AdWeekMedia’s awards were divided into four categories: media, agency, creative, and brand. Unsurprisingly, Apple was well represented in the creative and brand categories. Apple was named Brand of the Decade, and the company’s iconic CEO Steve Jobs was named Marketer of the Decade. “Steve Jobs the marketer is inseparable from Steve Jobs the personality,” according to AdWeekMedia. “His inimitable blend of competitive skill and design savvy hasn’t just saved a fading brand, it’s recast two businesses that used to have nothing to do with computers: music and mobile phones.”
Apple’s iPod was also named Product of the Decade, as the device and its accompanying iTunes Store service radically changed the music industry. Readers choose the iPhone over the iPod in a poll, because it changed our concept of what makes a smartphone truly “smart.” However, the “Brand” and “Marketer” accolades were supported by readers by large margins.
In the creative category, Apple was awarded Campaign of the Decade for its “Get a Mac” series of TV and Web-based ads. It also garnered recognition for its “Silhouettes” series of billboards and placards for the iPod, which was named Out-of-home Ad of the Decade. Readers fully agreed that the easily recognizable iPod ads were tops, but placed “Get a Mac” in third place behind MasterCard’s “Priceless” and American Legacy Foundation’s “Truth” campaigns.
Also in the creative category, Nike+ was recognized as Digital Campaign of the Decade. This collaboration between Apple and Nike to make tracking your running as easy as carrying your iPod has certainly had serious reverberations among geeks and athletes alike. It also helped Nike increase its share of the running show market from 48 to 61 percent in just two years.
Apple has always had a strong ability to market itself well throughout the last decade, and the company has continued to perform beyond expectations even in the face of a tough recession. That alone should be validation of the company’s efforts, but recognition from the industry never hurts.
Week in Apple: Ars fondles iPod nano and iTunes 9, peeks at iPod touch innards
Our review of the new iPod nano and a hands-on with iTunes 9 topped the charts this week, as did speculation on how the Apple TV could be improved and revelations about the updated iPod touch hardware. If you’re in for the top Apple news of the week, we have it for you in one tidy package:
Apple’s fifth take: Ars reviews the iPod nano with video: Once again, we have taken a look at the new iPod nano to see if its new features are cool enough to keep it at the top of Apple’s bestseller list. And, since video is one of the nano’s major new features, we compared its video quality to other pocket video cameras.
Hands on: iTunes 9 refinements cool, but hard to find: iTunes 9 ushers in several changes to Apple’s media app—some obvious, some far more subtle. We took a look around to see what we could find, and we bring you our impressions of what Apple has done with the latest version.
Week in Apple: Ars fondles iPod nano and iTunes 9, peeks at iPod touch innards
Our review of the new iPod nano and a hands-on with iTunes 9 topped the charts this week, as did speculation on how the Apple TV could be improved and revelations about the updated iPod touch hardware. If you’re in for the top Apple news of the week, we have it for you in one tidy package:
Apple’s fifth take: Ars reviews the iPod nano with video: Once again, we have taken a look at the new iPod nano to see if its new features are cool enough to keep it at the top of Apple’s bestseller list. And, since video is one of the nano’s major new features, we compared its video quality to other pocket video cameras.
Hands on: iTunes 9 refinements cool, but hard to find: iTunes 9 ushers in several changes to Apple’s media app—some obvious, some far more subtle. We took a look around to see what we could find, and we bring you our impressions of what Apple has done with the latest version.
