Apple unveils 'one-billion-a-day' iPhone ad platform

The platform, called iAd, will be pre-installed in the new iPhone 4.0 operating system, set to be released this summer, and will give advertisers the ability to run full-screen video and interactive ad content without requiring the user to navigate away from an app.

iAd will also make it much easier for developers to embed new ad executions into their apps, and gives them greater scope to produce more interactive and better quality content.

Developers will receive 60% of iAd revenue, while Apple will handle all sales and inventory.

The new platform follows Apple's acquisition of Quattro Wireless in January, a company that specialises in creating targeted mobile advertising.

It is estimated that an average iPhone user spends around 30 minutes each day using apps, which would mean that around one billion ad impressions would be generated every 24 hours. 

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the platform at the company's developer conference in the US yesterday (8 April), where details of the iPhone's new operating system were also revealed.

The new iPhone OS 4.0 will contain new features including a unified mailbox, folders to help users organise their apps, and an updated iBooks function that lets users easily browse, buy and read books on the device.

It will also contain a new multitasking service that allows users to carry out a number of different tasks simultaneously.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk