Apple is looking for a designer to “redefine” mobile advertising and this could have a huge impact on how developers make money on applications.
According to the job posting, the iPhone maker is looking for an experienced developer to overhaul how mobile advertising is done. Most of the ads in apps today are simple text links and you know that isn’t as elegant as Steve Jobs would like it. This job posting comes a little while after Apple acquired the mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless for $275 million. The logical step is for Apple to integrate this redesigned platform into its software development kit to give developers a one-stop shop for creating, distributing and monetizing their programs.
Mobile advertising is in its infancy right now and it’s still tough to make a great living off app ads alone. But I’ve spoken to many developers and mobile advertisers who think the market will experience explosive growth over the next few years that will be more than enough to sustain a vibrant ecosystem. If Apple’s just hiring now, I’d imagine it would take at least a year to get this fully rolled out in the SDK.
Of course, this move could have a dramatic impact on other mobile advertising providers like AdMob (which is in the process of being acquired by Apple rival Google). While there are exceptions, much of the money being made in the app space is on the iPhone. Knowing its penchant for control, I’d imagine Apple would only allow developers to use its advertising system. I have little doubt it will look better than its competitors, but you always like having more options to monetize if you’re a developer.
I’ve brought up this possibility to AdMob people and they obviously wouldn’t comment on the record. It may not matter that much once AdMob is part of Google but it could shut off an important part of the smartphone space. As for the other players, Research In Motion will be rolling an advertising API into its BlackBerry SDK and developers will be able to plug in multiple ad providers. We should also find out more about Microsoft’s mobile advertising plans for Windows Phone 7 Series later this month at MIX.
[Via Apple]