Always thinking different, Apple’s upcoming iPhone OS 4 will have advertising within apps as a built-in function for app developers. It’s called iAd and it may be the biggest thing to come out of Apple’s most recent campaign to think different. Chris Maxcer in MacNewsWorld nails it with the state of online advertising:
Advertising is what drives much of the online experience—let’s face it, someone has to pay for all the content and development effort, and much of the revenue is driven by ads. And yet, who actually likes ads? In general, very few of us do, partially because they so often represent things we don’t care much about. Then, when we finally see online ads that we do find enticing, we’re very often directed to a lowest-common-denominator Web page. Only some advertisers actually work hard to build interesting and effective ads.
What does Apple’s iAd do differently?
With iAd, Apple is providing its developers with a new way to include in-app ads without having to create their own ads or secure contracts with advertising companies. With iAd, it seems as if Apple is the middleman, but in this case, the ads aren’t just text or banners; they’re interactive mini-apps. Plus, instead of being delivered via a Web page, the apps can be incorporated directly into apps themselves.
In other words, better, more informative, more entertaining, more emotional ads can be built-in to the free apps.