WebProNews

Tag: iPhone

  • AdMob Compares Android/iPhone Stats

    AdMob, which Google recently got the green light from the FTC to acquire, has released its monthly Mobile Metrics Report (pdf), this time detailing the global base of Android, compared to that of the iPhone.

    During a keynote presentation at Google I/O, in which the company unveiled the latest version of Android, Google announced that Android sees about 100,000 activations a day. Apple claims to have sold 85 million iPhones and iPod Touches in three years.

    AdMob finds that Android had its greatest concentration of unique devices in North America (75%) in April, followed by Asia (12%), and Western Europe (11%). Sitting in on an Android press conference last week, I heard the Android team talk about some of the challenges their OS faces, and one that they mentioned was international expansion. For example, one person at the conference expressed some dissatisfaction with the availability of Android devices in Latin America.

    Sidenote: We spoke with Andrew Kameka of Androinica at Google I/O about some of the challenges surrounding Android:

    In the US there was a 2 to 1 ratio of iPhone OS devices to Android OS devices, worldwide that ratio expanded to 3.5 to 1, according to AdMob. In the company’s network there were 8.7 million unique Android OS devices and 10.7 million unique iPhones in the United States in April, but with non-phone devices running the iPhone OS (iPod touch and iPad), the number of unique devices jumps to 18.3 million in the US. Worldwide there were 11.6 million unique Android OS devices, 27.4 million unique iPhones and 40.8 million unique iPhone OS devices.

    Android vs. iPhone - from AdMob

    Some other key findings from the AdMob report:

    – The top five countries with the most unique iPhone OS devices were the United States (44 percent), United Kingdom (nine percent), France  (six percent), Canada  (five percent), and Japan  (four percent).

    – Over the past 12 months, unique iPhone OS device growth was strongest in Asia (474 percent), followed by Oceania (367 percent) and Western Europe (269 percent).        

    – The top five countries with the most unique Android OS devices were the United States (75 percent), China (eight percent), United Kingdom (three percent), France (two percent), and Germany (two percent).

    – There were more Android devices than iPhones in China in April 2010 in the AdMob network.  The top three Android devices in China were the HTC Hero, HTC Magic, and HTC Dream.

    The iPhone OS vs. Android OS outlook may be put into greater perspective in another year. Android-based tablets are expected to be on the way, and Google TV, which integrates with Android could play a significant factor in itself. Not to mention that Andy Rubin is talking about how the next six months of Android are going to be "mind blowing."

  • TripAdvisor Launches New iPhone App

    TripAdvisor Launches New iPhone App

    Online travel website TripAdvisor has launched a new TripAdvisor iPhone application, available on Apple’s App Store.

    The free applications allow users to search for popular hotels, restaurants, attractions and cheap airfares. The application is available in 13 languages, giving users a localized experience on TripAdvisor.

    "Our iPhone app gives people in 20 countries and 13 languages a new way to access the more than 35 million traveler reviews and opinions available on TripAdvisor," said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor.

    TripAdvisor-iPhone

    "Now, travelers can find a great hotel, restaurant or attraction and book a cheap flight whether they’re at home or on the go."

    The new TripAdvisor iPhone application replaces Local Picks in the App Store. The app uses the iPhone’s GPS technology to allow users to search for nearby hotels, restaurants and attractions. Users can search by rating, distance and price. Users can also send in reviews while they are traveling.

    Additionally, travelers can use TripAdvisor Flights, the sites flight search engine, to find cheap airfares using their iPhone.
     

     

  • MySpace Offers New SDK To Android, iPhone Developers

    It’s possible that MySpace will soon become much more popular with people who own iPhones, iPod Touches, iPads, and Android devices.  MySpace announced this afternoon that it’s launched a new SDK designed to make it easier for developers to integrate the site into their applications.

    MySpace’s timing is excellent.  Earlier today, a report from Gartner indicated that Android and the iPhone OS are the only two mobile operating systems to have seen a year-over-year increase in market share, and on Monday, MySpace introduced new privacy settings that could impress many of the users Facebook’s scared off.

    The new SDK itself isn’t exactly bad, either.  MySpace said that it’s offering developers an integrated login UI, and then it’s covered all the basics by making sure people can send status and mood updates, see their friends, and upload photos and videos.

    What’s more, MySpace explained in a statement, "MySpace will be supporting and frequently updating the SDK based on developer and user feedback, so please let us know what you think as you start working with the SDK."

    It might really be worth looking for a slight bounce (or at least a smaller drop-off) in MySpace’s user stats over the next few months, then.

  • Twitter for iPhone App Made Available

    Twitter for iPhone App Made Available

    A process that began about six weeks ago has now reached its conclusion.  Twitter for iPhone and iPod Touch, an app that was known as Tweetie until Twitter acquired it on April 9th, was (re)released today, and as promised, it’s free and doesn’t take direct aim at third-party developers.

    The concern was that Twitter might label this app "official" – much as it had labeled a BlackBerry app in the same fashion – and thus draw all the attention away from competing apps.  Twitter stopped calling its BlackBerry app "official" a while ago, though, and hasn’t used the word again here.

    Indeed, rather than steal developers’ customers, it looks like Twitter’s trying to appeal to people who have never used the site at all.  A post on the Twitter Blog explained, "Something worth noting is that you don’t need a Twitter account to enjoy this application.  Browsing trends, reading Top Tweets, finding popular users, and checking out public tweets geographically nearby are all possible immediately upon download.  Discovery and consumption of interesting, relevant information is a central focus."

    The post then continued, "However, quick and easy signup exists within the application so new users won’t need to visit our web site to create an account."

    Initial reactions to the reborn app have been positive.  Twitter seems to have succeeded in satisfying potential users while not alienating its developer community.

  • Android Tops Windows Mobile Worldwide

    Even if Google prefers to name different versions of Android after tasty desserts, the mobile operating system is still doing a good imitation of a simple snowball rolling downhill.  A new report from Gartner indicates Android’s even grown to the point that it’s beaten Windows Mobile in terms of sales on a worldwide basis.

    Gartner pegged Android’s sales at 1.6 percent of the smartphone market for the first quarter of 2009.  For the first quarter of 2010, that figure was 9.6 percent, instead, which works out to an increase of 600 percent in the space of one year.

    Meanwhile, Windows Mobile’s sales decreased from 10.2 percent to 6.8 percent of the total, allowing Android to take fourth place.  And the iPhone OS’s share of sales didn’t increase by quite as much, bringing Android somewhat closer to third.

    Apple and Android are, despite their third- and fourth-place finishes, arguably the winners here, too.  Gartner observed in a statement, "Android and Apple were the only two OSs vendors among the top five to increase market share year-on-year.  Symbian remained in the No. 1 position but continued to lose as Nokia remains weak in the high-end portfolio."

    Android and the iPhone OS are still a long way from the top, though, meaning Google may have to work its way through a lot more desserts before displacing another competitor.

  • Next iPhone OS Rumored To Incorporate Facebook

    Here’s a story – or more properly, a rumor – for the folks who are never more than five feet from their iPhones and don’t let a day go by without signing into Facebook: the next iPhone operating system will supposedly feature a certain level of integration with the social network.

    AppleDan Frommer wrote this afternoon, "Apple is building Facebook features into the latest version of its iPhone software, we’re told by a plugged-in source in the mobile industry."

    Then, in case you’re wondering when this combination might be confirmed, Frommer continued, "These features could be announced during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 7, when Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone."

    This would obviously be pretty huge for both companies.  In terms of users’ reaction, they could expect almost universal applause.  Most investors and supporters would probably approve, too.  One interesting thing to remember, though, is that Microsoft has invested a substantial amount of money in Facebook.

    It’s also a little difficult not to wonder whether Apple, which has a reputation for being extraordinarily controlling, would effectively dedicate part of its product to another organization.

    We’ll be sure to provide an update as soon as any more significant details become available.

  • HTC Sues Apple, Calls for Halt of iPhone, iPad Sales

    HTC announced today that it is suing Apple. The company says it took legal action against Apple, filing a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to halt the importation and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States. HTC’s complaint outlines five patents it claims are infringed upon by Apple products.

    "As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," says Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."

    The company’s statement goes on to say:

    HTC’s commitment to innovation has continued for more than a decade as it has focused on building a portfolio of the world’s most advanced smartphones that are inspired by consumers and provide them with a variety of choices in software, design, form-factor, price and wireless carrier.  Today, consumers in the United States can choose between 12 HTC smartphones with the national wireless carriers. HTC has continuously strived to bring innovative smartphone choices to consumers, like the recently unveiled HTC EVO 4G with Sprint, DROID Incredible by HTC with Verizon Wireless and the HTC HD2 with T-Mobile.

    Yesterday HTC uploaded the following video showcasing its timeline of smarthphone manufacturing dating back to 1997:

    Apple was already suing HTC over 20 patents related to the iPhone, so it will be very interesting to see how this all unfolds.

    HTC of course makes a number of devices that run Google’s Android operating system, and Jason Kincaid notes that Google has vowed to "stand behind" its partners.

    While Google isn’t directly involved in the legal battles between HTC and Apple, it is obviously very invested in the outcomes. Yet another layer to the Apple/Google competition story is added.

  • Will Square Power a Revolution in Credit Card Payments?

    We may be looking at a revolution in payments. Square, which launched late last year from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is now offering a way for anybody with the right mobile device to accept credit card payments for less hassle and fees than before possible.

    Square has released clients for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android devices. In essence, what this means is that if you have any of these devices, you can accept credit card payments. Not only is Square now available for these devices, but the company is shipping millions of free card readers. This may be huge for small businesses (not to mention garage sales).

    The following clip gives you an idea of just what Square is doing:

    Some have noted drawbacks to Square, such as its lack of the ability to handle refunds or delete transactions, but you can probably expect such issues to be resolved.

    "When we announced Square December 1st of last year, we estimated that it would be available in the U.S. sometime in early 2010," says Square CEO Jack Dorsey (who also happens to be a co-founder of Twitter.  "Since then it has become clear that this product does not have a singular grand launch, but many iterations and refinements."

    Square lets anybody accept credit cards

    Noah Robischon at Fast Company does a good job of  explaining the pre-Square hassle for small businesses of trying to accept credit cards:

    Most merchants accept credit cards after being approached by an independent sales organization that offers to set up the process in exchange for a monthly fee, plus a gateway fee, and the cost of a card reader. After that, the card company takes a percentage of every transaction. The lowest rate offered is around 1.79%, but the rate is variable and for reward cards it can run as high as 4% of every sale (it’s not the credit card companies that are paying for your free flights, it’s the merchants who foot that bill in the end). These fees are deducted from the merchant’s account at the end of the month along with any charge backs when someone refutes a sale. This makes it difficult for small and medium businesses to accurately gauge their cash flow from month to month. Maybe that’s why, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, of the 30 million businesses in the U.S. with under $100k in revenue, only 6 million accept credit cards.

    With Square there is no merchant account or contract required, there are no monthly fees or premiums and users get free card readers and setup. The rate for when the card is present and is swiped is 2.75% + 15¢. The rate when no card is present and the info has to be keyed in is 3.5% + 15¢.

    Do you think Square is going to be a game changer? Share your thoughts.

  • U.S. Consumers Reportedly Go for Android Over iPhone in Q1

    It’s been quite clear that Android usage has been growing steadily, but a report from the NPD Group finds that in the first quarter of 2010, Android devices actually outsold iPhones (still behind RIM) in the U.S.

    Here are the market share numbers for sales in the first quarter according to the report:

    RIM: 36%
    Android: 28%
    Apple: 21%

    Droid Eris from Verizon"As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share," says Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. "In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones."

    Such offers have been available for devices like the Droid, Droid Eris (pictured), and BlackBerry Curve.

    As far as carriers, AT&T accounted for 32% of smarthone sales, with Verizon accounting for 30%, T-Mobile accounting for 17% and Sprint accounting for 15%.

    "Recent previews of BlackBerry 6, the recently announced acquisition of Palm by HP, and the pending release of Windows Phone 7 demonstrates the industry’s willingness to make investments to address consumer demand for smartphones and other mobile devices," says Rubin. "Carriers continue to offer attractive pricing for devices, but will need to present other data-plan options to attract more customers in the future."

    In considering the data from the report, it’s important to keep in mind the methodology behind it. It was compiled from 150,000 completed online customer research surveys. The figures don’t include corporate/enterprise mobile phone sales.

  • iPhone And iPod Touch Users Lead In Downloading

    Only 16 percent of Americans over the age of 13 are using devices besides their home computers to download software apps, music, video, and other entertainment content from the Internet, according to a new report by The NPD Group.

    The report found three-quarters (75%) of iPhone and iPod Touch users are connecting to the Internet to download entertainment content and apps, compared to 19 percent of game console users and 17 percent of Blu-ray Disc (BD) set-top users.

    Russ-Crupnick-The-NPD-Group.jpg "It’s not surprising that Apple users are ahead of others when it comes to downloading Web-based content, given the breadth of the company’s app catalog and the head start iTunes had selling music for the iPod," said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

    "Like other groups of early adopters, consumers downloading entertainment content are mostly younger and male; however, as app stores expand beyond Apple, as connected devices become more commonplace, and as connectivity is simplified we expect to see more activity on other devices and platforms."

    Among iPhone and iPod Touch users who downloaded content, free apps were the most popular download category, followed by video-game apps, and music downloads. Among consumers who connected via game consoles, game add-ons were the most popular category, followed by purchased downloads of games, and movie rentals.

    "Music now competes with games and other apps for share of device, share of wallet, and share of time," Crupnick said. 

    "Entertainment companies need to start to thinking of apps in broader terms, not only as a way of garnering direct sales from downloads, but also as a pathway to paying for additional entertainment content. For example, an app that reviews movies could also be a direct channel for purchasing DVDs, BDs, or digital forms of video."
     

  • iPad Apps Near 5,000 Mark

    iPad Apps Near 5,000 Mark

    The number of applications in the Apple App Store for iPad has climbed to 4,870 since the launch of the device on April 3, according to the latest report from app store analytics firm Distimo.

    Nine days after the release of the iPad, the Apple App Store for the device had 3,670 applications, with 2,654 applications that were only compatible with the iPad and 1,016 universal applications.

    In the last two weeks the total number of applications for the iPad has grown by 32.7 percent to 4,870 on April 26. The total number of applications now available in the Apple App Store is 189,851.

    The largest category of apps for the iPad is games with 1,577 titles (32%), followed by entertainment and books with 455 and 396 titles, respectively.

    iPad-Apps-Distimo

    The majority (82%) of the 1,577 games for the iPad are paid, compared with 69 percent of the 34,181 games for the iPhone that are paid.

    Along with differences in the proportion of free versus paid applications between iPad and iPhone, the average prices differ as well. On average, an application in the Apple App Store for iPhone costs $3.82, as opposed to $4.67 in the Apple App Store for iPad.
     

     

  • Google Improves Mobile Image Search

    Google has launched a new version of Image Search for Android 2.1 devices and iPhone 3.0+. This version provides a slicker user interface that fits in with how users of these devices would browse native images.

    Here’s a demo:

    Thumbnails are square, as to maximize the amount of images that can be shown on the screen at once. Users can swipe to see the next/previous page of results, or tap the next/previous page buttons to navigate. Google says it optimized the experience for speed, so images appear quickly as you browse.

    When a user actually views an image, they are now displayed as largely as possible with a new special image viewing page. This has a black background to emphasize the image, and the buttons fade out after a few seconds, so you can just look at the image. You can browse through the image results while in this view with a simple swipe, just like the results pages themselves.

    Users of compatible devices need only go to google.com on their phones and go to "images". The new version works in 38 languages.

     

  • PayPal Gives iPhone/iPad Developers In-App Payment Option

    Some news from PayPal that slipped fairly under the radar this week is that the company opened its Mobile Payments Library to developers. A representative for PayPal tells WebProNews it will give developers an "easy way to get payments from within their apps."

    PayPal Mobile Payments at BaubletThe library is an element of PayPal’s PayPal X Payments Platform, announced last year. "The Mobile Payments Library enables app developers to accept in-app purchases directly via PayPal; so developers don’t need to store customers’ personal financial information and customers can purchase goods and services without leaving the app," the rep explains.

    A few developers have already started using the library. Examples include ShopSavvy, and Shutterfly’s Wink. Baublet is the first one in the app store to utilize it.

    "Being a first time developer, PayPal’s quick and responsive help has been fantastic and made this task pretty darn easy," says Baublet developer Michael Robinson. "Our goal was to have the ability to create, purchase and mail a charm within a few minutes on our app. The PayPal’s Mobile Payments was critical to that success."

    The library currently supports iPhone and iPad apps, but will become available for other platforms soon.

  • Yellow Pages iPhone App Gets Voice Search

    Voice search is one of the more convenient features of phones these days (at least when it works). AT&T Interactive has launched the latest version of its Yellow Pages app YPMobile, and it comes with voice search, which should make the app a great deal more useful.

    "As mobile consumers increasingly rely on their mobile device to find and immediately use local information, we are focused on integrating new features to help users easily navigate their everyday lives," says David Williams, vice president of mobile product management at AT&T Interactive. "The addition of voice search complements the text-based local search experience by expanding the situations in which users can use the YPmobile App, making finding nearby businesses even easier."

    Yellow Pages app for iPhone YPMobile gets voice search

    In addition to Voice Search, the app also comes equipped with new map-based search functionality, and integration with Facebook and Twitter – users can broadcast their newly-discovered "hot spots." Given the popularity location sharing is attracting these days, some may go for this.

    The app is available for free at Apple’s App Store.

    Recently AT&T Interactive also made its Buzz.com social local search product available to the public. Read my interview with the company about that here.

  • If the iPhone/Gizmodo Incident Had Happened to Google

    Brad Stone at the New York Times Bits Blog has an interesting article up in which he talks to Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google and co-founder of Android. While the article is mainly about Android, there’s a part toward the end that is humorous when Stone jokes with him that his press relations colleague wanted to confess that he had left a prototype Android phone at a local bar.

    "I’d be happy if that happened and someone wrote about it," Rubin is quoted as saying. "With openness comes less secrets."

    Andy Rubin - Co-founder of Android Considering all the hubbub about the iPhone/Gizmodo incident (which even led to the police seizing Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s computers from his home while he was not even there), Rubin’s response is a well-placed jab.

    In fact, that’s not the only jab at Apple Rubin took in the interview. Stone writes, that he even "seemed to compared [sic] Apple to North Korea." On the general public caring about mobile software being open or a walled garden like Apple’s, Rubin is quoted, "When they can’t have something, people do care. Look at the way politics work. I just don’t want to live in North Korea."

    There’s no question that Google and Apple are becoming much fiercer rivals. It’s always fun to look at the jabs each takes at the other. Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently painted Android as all but the red light district of mobile operating systems.

  • Google Acquires Widget Developer Labpixies

    Google has acquired widget developer Labpixies, which developed some of the first gadgets for Google’s personalized homepage iGoogle. It also develops apps for Android and iPhone.

    "Over the years, we worked closely together on a variety of projects, including the launch of a number of global OpenSocial based gadgets. Recently, we decided that we could do more if we were part of the same team…" says Don Loeb of Google’s iGoogle team.

    "We are looking forward to working with Labpixies to develop great web apps and leverage their knowledge and expertise to help developers and improve the ecosystem overall," he adds.

    Labpixies - Top iGoogle Gadgets - Company acquired by Google

    "We both felt the time was right to come together," says Labpixies in its announcement. "We started LabPixies to create a truly personalized online experience and develop fun widgets that people find useful every day. Working at Google will help us scale to more users as well as giving our team greater opportunities. Google and LabPixies teams have worked on many projects together including the launch of global OpenSocial based gadgets. The acquisition is an opportunity to learn from each other to bring more apps to users, help developers and improve the overall developer ecosystem."

    The Labpixies team will be based out of Google’s Tel Aviv office, and will anchor the company’s iGoogle efforts across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

    This is only the latest in a string of acquisitions from Google. Other recent acquisitions include Agnilux, Plink, Aardvark, and Episodic.

  • Rhapsody Updates iPhone Offering Offline Playback

    Rhapsody has introduced a new version of its iPhone app that allows users to store subscription music in the phones memory and stream it when they don’t have an Internet connection.

    Rhapsody says it is the first U.S. service to allow people to download subscription music to the iPhone. By downloading playlists directly to the device, users can listen to Rhapsody from any location.

    "Today marks a turning point for Rhapsody and subscription music," said Jon Irwin, Rhapsody’s president.

    "By making Rhapsody accessible anywhere people want to hear music — and not just the places where they have an Internet connection — we’re giving music lovers a new way to discover and enjoy music on the devices they love."

    Using the iPhone app requires a subscription to Rhapsody for either $10-per-month, which provides access to the music service on one mobile device or for $14.99 which provides access on up to 3 mobile devices.

    Earlier this month, the company launched a mobile app for the Android platform. Rhapsody said it is developing a new mobile app for BlackBerry users that will launch this summer.
     

  • Google Distances Maps Navigation From iPhone

    Earlier today, reports indicated that Google Maps Navigation (an Internet-connected GPS nav system) would become available on the iPhone, and while some people viewed this a nice peace offering, others thought Google was damaging its mobile business.  Only it turns out even more cynicism was appropriate, as no such move is guaranteed to occur.

    Yes, sorry iPhone owners, but Google hasn’t decided to forfeit one of Android’s advantages.  The company’s instead asserting that a corporate representative was misquoted, and although it might allow Apple devices to use Google Maps Navigation at some point, no promises were made.

    "We did not say we would bring it to iPhone, we said to date we’ve had it on Android and that in the future it may come to other platforms but did not confirm this will be coming to iPhone at all," a spokesperson told Daniel Ionescu.

    So it looks like the introduction of Google Maps Navigation in the UK and Ireland that occurred on Wednesday will be about the only big news on this front this week.

    We’ll definitely keep an ear out with regards to what those "other platforms" are, though, since that issue still hasn’t been clarified.

  • Apple Posts Best Non-Holiday Quarter Ever

    Apple Posts Best Non-Holiday Quarter Ever

    Apple has posted its financial results for Q2 (ending March 27). These include revenue of $13.50 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.07 billion (or $3.33 per diluted share). As a comparison, for the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.08 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.62 billion, (or $1.79 per diluted share).

    "We’re thrilled to report our best non-holiday quarter ever, with revenues up 49 percent and profits up 90 percent," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "We’ve launched our revolutionary new iPad and users are loving it, and we have several more extraordinary products in the pipeline for this year."

    The company sold 2.94 million Macs during the quarter, representing a 33% increase from the same quarter last year. In addition, it sold 131% more iPhones (8.75 million) and 10.89 million iPods. iPod sales actually declined from last year by 1%.

    Apple Product Summary for Q2

    "Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $13.0 billion to $13.4 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $2.28 to $2.39," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO.

    In other Apple-related news, the company misplaced a future version of the iPhone, which ended up in the hands of popular gadget blog Gizmodo. The company wrote a letter asking for its property back. Also a man in Denver had the flesh ripped from his finger, as thieves stole his iPad after he purchased it from an Apple Store. Somehow the injury reportedly occurred as he had the cords from his Apple bag wrapped around his fingers.

  • Does Apple’s iAd Have the Right Stuff for Mobile Advertising?

    This week, among other things, Apple unleashed its new mobile advertising platform called iAd. This is based on the company’s acquisition of the mobile ad platform Quattro earlier this year.

    iAd is seen as a direct competitor to AdMob, which Google is still in the process of trying to acquire (the announcement was made in November), and Steve Jobs has even said Apple tried to acquire itself. The AdMob deal has been under scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, to determine if it would reduce competition in mobile advertising. Seeing as how Apple has now unveiled its own direct competitor, one would think that it would help Google’s case for getting its AdMob deal done.

    If so, perhaps it  will all work to Google’s benefit. They can see what Apple has done, what works about it, and what doesn’t. Apple put out the iPhone, then along came Android, and Android use is skyrocketing. Can Google repeat this with mobile ads? Apple shows how it’s going to do mobile ads. If the AdMob deal goes through, Google will then show the world its own plan (beyond the following).

    Types-of-Mobile-Advertising

    iAd lets developers include ads in their apps (HTML5 – No Flash) that keep the user within the app. Ads will reportedly have access to many of the APIs other apps have access to.  Apple gives 60% of the ad revenue to the developers.

    Someone within Google has reportedly (and anonymously) already ripped iAd. Clearly, they are already thinking they have a better strategy, or at least want people to think that. Silicon Alley Insider reports the problems with iAd cited by this person:

    – Creative agencies build ads in Flash. There is no comparable tool for creating HTML5 creatives. There is no "IDE" for this. So those ads looked great in the presentation but the odds are that Apple (or Quattro) built them custom for the clients. How does this scale to hundreds of campaigns?

    – As a media agency (e.g. Publicis, Havas, etc) how do I determine the right targeting, etc to execute the buy to my satisfaction. Since this is a close ad network run by Apple I guess you’ll just have to trust them that they’re giving you a media plan that meets your objectives. "I want to reach young men who are interested in sports" –> how does this get translated into a media plan? If Apple does all the work, then how does an agency add any value to the process?

    – How would I measure results? It’s not clear what metrics Apple will provide advertisers. Whatever they are, they won’t be a) audited; b) comparable against anything else; c) integrated into the systems advertisers use to measure overall results.

    – Oh, also, how will these ads be priced exactly? Will it be an auction like AdWords? Or will it be a rate card Apple controls?

    Much of this sentiment has been echoed throughout the industry in general, by non-Googlers.

    One clear advantage Google has in mobile advertising is that it already has search advertising. Apparently Steve Jobs would like people to think that people aren’t using search on their phones (based on his comment: "People aren’t searching on their phones.") which I have a hard time believing, considering the amount of searching I do on my own phone. If that were the case, however, that ought to help Google’s case even more, as far as competition.

    iAd may further Apple’s head start in in-app ads, but it’s possible that Google won’t be too far behind if  the FTC views iAd as a competitor to AdMob (although recent reports indicate the FTC is leaning toward blocking the deal, the iAd gives Google some ammunition). Android usage is still growing rapidly, and Google is still the default search engine on the iPhone as well, at least for the time being.

    The competition between Google and Apple gets more interesting by the day, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. 

  • Digg Updates iPhone App

    Update: Digg announced several changes to the recently released iPhone app today. These include:

    • Closing the app on a Digg story page doesn’t result in a crash when reopening the app
    • A range of stability improvements allows the app to be used for longer periods without crashing
    • We’ve added an "open in Safari" option for viewing websites from the story pages
    • The app opens on the last page viewed when it was last closed

    Original Article: Digg has launched its long awaited iPhone app, which was created by TapTapTap.

    "This free app was designed to create a seamless browsing experience between Digg and the most popular content on the web, as chosen by the Digg community," says Digg’s Chris Howard. "We wanted to make it easy to discover interesting content on your phone and to easily jump into the conversations around that content. You can browse lists of recent content, search for the topics you care about, and save stories to check out later. Best of all, you can join in on the curation by Digging and burying stories and comments right from your phone!"

    TapTapTap is even going so far as to hold a contest in which it is giving away fourteen Digg-branded iPad devices. They will be giving away one each day for two weeks. More details on that here.

    The company says it will have an Android App available at some point. So far, no word on a timeframe for that or other mobile apps, but we’ll keep you posted if we learn more. The company will release updates for the iPhone app as it receives feedback.