Apple iAd Drawing Antitrust Scrutiny

snydeq writes "US regulators are planning to investigate whether Apple is shutting out third parties such as Google and Microsoft in advertising on the iPhone and iPad under revised terms to its iAd mobile ad platform. Apple's revised developer terms prohibit ad analytics collection unless it is provided to an independent ad service provider whose primary business is serving mobile ads. If enforced, the proposed terms would prohibit developers from using Google's AdMob service on the iPhone, according to AdMob founder Omar Hamoui. Developers using AdMob to deliver ads on cross-platform mobile apps would have to go through an alternative service for the version of the app running on an Apple platform, according to the terms. It's an impractical solution that some are calling restrictive."

Comments

Re:Christ! Really? It's come to this?

[Em Emalb]

Actually, Mr "Anonymous Coward", if indeed that is your real name...I have a mix of devices at home and work. iPhone for my phone, macbook pro for my laptop, Dell for desktop, etc. No, I don't have an iPad, and if you'll re-read my signature, you'll note it's a joke.

And, as far as you "developing" apps for the iPhone, I'm sure you're amazingly successful.

I've been in this industry a long fucking time, and I've seen shit come and go. But this time, the consumer isn't even a thought. This is two companies arguing over who gets to put ads on our devices whether we want them there or not. And that's horseshit, IMO.

Oh, and thanks for the course on how software works. I'm sure you're quite successful.

Get the fsck off my lawn!

[logique]

Seems like Slashdot is nothin but a bunch of good-fer-nuthin whiny snotty-nosed geeky-wannabees.

Complain when Apple don't want to carry a particular product in their App Store; Get a clue people! - it's their friggen store! Does a Ford dealership have to sell GM cars? Get over it.

Complain when Apple sell a locked down appliance ; (check: iPod, iPhone, iPad) - if you don't like it, don't buy it! (Duh!)

Compare Apple to Microsoft in a bad way: Now you are really showing what a whiny clueless bunch of snots you really are;

• Microsoft was/is a monopoly => Apple is not (there are other places to get your Computer/Phone/MusicPlayer/Music/TV Shows/etc).
• Microsoft acted illegally in it's position as an effective monopoly... and not just in the BS browser fiasco (probably MS worked the DOJ into following that lame line);
  what was worse than the Browser 'war' was MS using their power to Stop ALL major OEMs from even offering an Alternative OS (even a boot time alternative), effectively killing any OS competitor before they started:
  Anyone here old enough to remember BeOS (Multi-user, Multi-tasking, Multi-threaded OS that booted in 20 seconds on mid-90's hardware?) - They could not even GIVE it away because of MS's threat to the OEMs.
  Anyone remember more recently on MS's ballot stuffing shenanigans with the ISO (resulting in an ISO standard, breaking all of the committees own rules, and producing a standard to which there exists even now - not a single implementation!)... and the nasty still continues (head on over to Groklaw for more nasty MS behaviour)...

Now get the fsck off my lawn!

Re:Good.

[iluvcapra]

Let me make sure I understand your argument:

• Customers pay Apple for hardware and services, so Apple's incentive is to make customers happy.
• Advertisers pay ad networks, and ad network's basic job is to collect analytics.

This is like a textbook definition of adverse selection -- people want Apple to allow more ad networks to be able to collect analytics, in the hope that this will cause more price competition between ad networks on the iOS platform, lower app developer costs.

But this won't happen. What'll happen is apps will stay the same price -- free -- but now your personal analytic information will be spread to the four winds of the Earth, and one day some grandma will get an ad on her freecell app that offers "a coupon to Depends users with Black 2007 Cadillacs who went to Bishop's Buffet this morning" and it'll be an outrageous scandal. And people will blame Apple, not the vendor -- we'll see the same rationalistic bull that people have been plying with the iPad email debacle, where somehow Apple is responsible for keeping its partners in line to a degree that is basically impossible.

Again, this whole debate seems to be driven by people who are angry because Apple won't let them use method X to make money on their platform. It's Apple's platform, it's not a public utility, it's not a commons, and as long as only 30% of smartphone users use it they can do whatever they hell they want.

And anyone who complains is just admitting that they don't prefer Android and what they really want is an iPhone OS with an Android app developer business case. But it's not Apple's duty to provide that.