New iOS Dev Terms Shut Out Google From Analytics?

[Michael Essany]

Many will recall the very self-serving decision by Apple earlier this spring to revise its iPhone OS - excuse me, iOS - developer agreement to effectively prohibit third parties from collecting user data and other analytics most advertisers consider to be vital. But now that's all changed - at least a little.

While Apple is no longer comprehensively closed off to other ad networks, the updated version of the developer agreement, which rolled out yesterday following the intro of the 4th generation iPhone, indicates a number of substantive barriers still exist.

As recently as last week's D8 conference, Apple chief Steve Jobs reiterated that the dev agreement and its restrictions were not meant to be anti-competitive. But the new agreement seems to convey a different message altogether, especially given that it appears to specifically target AdMob for exclusion while other "independent" third party data collectors can have a field day through this new window opened by Apple. AdMob, of course, is not only the biggest mobile advertising firm in the game, it's also the latest freshly acquired toy of Google's.

Because AdMob is an “advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices," Apple can shut out Google from the data collect party because "mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent.” The analysts who have weighed in on this language employed by Apple almost universally concur that it must have been written with Google clearly in mind for exclusion.

Apple is certainly far more ambitious about its iAd platform than most folks realize. Given its enormous push in Jobs' keynote at the kick-off of WWDC 2010, the venture officially commences July 1st with better than $60 million in major advertising commitments already in place. According to Steve Jobs, iAds may capture nearly half of the entire mobile advertising market share by the end of this year.

[ownerofspam]

I wonder if Jobs will try to put iAd's on cydia apps...

[b3nny]

i wonder what the FCC thinks of that verbage...

[tgabriel123]

Jobs has NOTHING to do with Cydia...

[jordbrett]

I think he was just saying jobs' reach is insane!

[cpkirkley]

Who remembers when it was cool to root for apple? Now, every time I think about it I get a sour taste in my mouth.

[whereswaldo]

I wonder if Jobs will try to put iAd's on cydia apps...

lol, he wishes

[awesomeSlayer]

My apple is turning sour.

[blkeagle1]

At first I thought iAds sounded pretty lame, but I figure if were going to get interactive ads taking the place of being charged for an app, i'm warming up to that. If thats the case anyway. Especially if the ads are as cool as they look so far. There's nothing more annoying then lame looking ads infringing on my screen space after I play a word on words with friends free.

[sziklassy]

At first I thought iAds sounded pretty lame, but I figure if were going to get interactive ads taking the place of being charged for an app, i'm warming up to that. If thats the case anyway. Especially if the ads are as cool as they look so far. There's nothing more annoying then lame looking ads infringing on my screen space after I play a word on words with friends free.

The most troublesome thing about iAds for me is the potential for them to use more data than the average user is willing to give up. If all new contracts will be data limited, that can be a big thing for some users. Even if the adds take up a collective total of 100mb (which I don't imagine would be terribly hard to do), that is already 5% of the new highest data plan.

[fletch33]

Who remembers when it was cool to root for apple? Now, every time I think about it I get a sour taste in my mouth.

indeed.

[hollow0]

Who remembers when it was cool to root for apple? Now, every time I think about it I get a sour taste in my mouth.

Tastes sweet to me. Admob has their loyal android phones so they can deal with it.

[mobay]

not good