Apple May Introduce “iAd” Platform on Thursday, Google Sweats AdMob Approval
Posted 04/07/2010 at 7:09am
| by J.R. Bookwalter
(Image courtesy of MacRumors)Apple is rumored to make “iAd” part of its iPhone OS 4.0 preview on Thursday, while Google appears to be sweating out approval of its AdMob acquisition.
MacRumors has collected a number of recent reports on Apple’s mobile advertising plans, revisiting a report from late March that claimed Cupertino was planning an April 7th media event to unveil its mobile advertising system, dubbed “iAd.” Given that the calendar reads April 7th today, that would appear to be false information, until you remember that Apple is indeed holding a media event tomorrow, April 8th, to preview iPhone OS 4.0.
“Apple is likely to introduce its mobile ad platform Thursday at its iPhone developer event, say sources familiar with the company’s plans,”
proclaims a MediaMemo report.
“iAd” is anticipated to be the culmination of Apple’s acquisition of ad firm Quattro Wireless back in January, which came on the heels of Google’s own mobile advertising acquisition of AdMob, which Cupertino was also rumored to have been in talks with.
Industry insiders have speculated that Google’s AdMob purchase was simply a ploy to keep the company out of Apple’s hands, and that Google offered a 25 percent premium over Cupertino’s already generous offer to secure the deal. If true, the plan worked -- although Apple shifted its focus to the Quattro acquisition, which appears to cement the company’s plans for mobile advertising at any cost.
Google may be sweating out their own AdMob acquisition, however -- the deal has apparently been held under scrutiny by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and a
Wall Street Journal report out today claims that the FTC plans to formally oppose the deal on antitrust grounds.
Of course, if the rumors are true and Apple does indeed announce its “iAd” mobile advertising platform at tomorrow’s iPhone OS 4.0 event, it could have the unwanted effect of actually helping Google dodge the FTC’s blockade by convincing the government agency that healthy competition will continue to exist in the market even with the AdMob deal.
