Apple bans local ads for iPhone and iPad
Posted by Anita on February 5th, 2010 at 08:09am Comments
As the advertising world around us is creating geographic location ads that will steer us to the corner store, Apple has explicitly banned them or so it seems.
Apple has made it very clear to developers with a recent post stating, “If you build your application with features based on a user’s location, make sure these features provide beneficial information. If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”
On the brighter side, Apple may want ot protect their users from being swamped with local ads to stores in area.
However, there could of course, be ulterior motives behind Apple’s ban especially since Apple filed a patent with the title of “Graphical User Interface with Location-Specific Interface Elements,” with an explanation that this patent will be used for businesses, “to assist patrons … with the purchase or review of media items at an online media store.”
What is believed to be behind this Apple patent is that an Apple iPhone or other Apple devices would know its own location, know the song or video that was being broadcast by the store and then be able to display an ad for that song or video. At the same time, offering a purchase button.
Another Apple patent application is the “Location-Based Services,” with a description stating it will offer various services such as “information corresponding to one or more relevant businesses in a vicinity of the determined current geographic location.” “For example…the hyperlink may be a link to order prints for pickup from the photo processing business. As another example, the hyperlink can also be associated with a phone number of the business, which when selected causes the telephone number to be automatically dialed. As a further example, the hyperlink can be associated with a coupon associated with the business or other information associated with the business.”
I guess the fans of iPhone, iPod Touch, and soon the iPad will just have to wait to see if Apple plans on bombarded their devices with local ads or if Apple will steer clear.
Information on the Apple patents are available by clicking Graphical User Interface with Location-Specific Interface Elements,” and Location-Based Services.
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