Apple makes it official, acquires Quattro Wireless
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 5th 2010 11:56AM
posted January 5th 2010 11:56AM
Following up on last evening's rumor, Apple has pulled the trigger and made its acquisition of mobile ad network Quattro Wireless official. A sale price wasn't disclosed -- $275 million is the popular number being thrown around -- but the company's CEO Andy Miller has been immediately elevated to Apple's newly-minted VP of Mobile Advertising position. In a news post on Quattro's site, Miller says that its products and services won't change "for now" -- but considering that it offers tailored advertising across a huge bounty of devices and platforms, we have to imagine Apple's long-term strategy is going to involve making this framework more of an App Store value-add for developers. Time will tell, but one thing's for sure: this is good news if (and only if) it either makes life easier on devs that want to offer awesome free apps or finally ushers in the era of free, non-carrier-subsidized, ad-supported smartphones that don't suck.
Wow. Will just generate more guarantees cash flow fir apple on a global level. Now that is sick. iPhone touch n app store will be bigger than it has in the past. App store will be on a whole new level.
@logic thinker your name and post are contradictory
@bigdonny
I'd say: "That's nothing you should see his other posts" but they've all been downranked out of existence.
@bigdonny
He's worse than Paul Chapel, Ocean, Clak, Quix, Jack, and iKurk Mark III put together.
@LAY of course. He's Truth. Remember that asshole troll who couldn't spell right...ever? That's him.
@logic thinker this purchase will probably enable developers to simplify the process of adding ads to their free apps in the form of an enhanced SDK. That way, Appl would offer ad services to devs as well. Not bad at all, empowers devs with more competitive advantage.
IM IN UR APPZ, FEEDIN UR ADS.
@ChazClout
Haha! Reminds me of Pac-Man though!!
This is why the world ends in 2012.
if you cant beat them, take their ideas and copy them.
Thanks for that irrelevant quote. This is the comment section for Apple buying a company. Therefore you obviously are misguided in posting comments on the wrong pages. Pity
@SmilinGoat
More like "we're crushing our competition senseless, might as well steal their lunch too!"
@PATRICKmcnicholl
Unless you pay any attention at what company they have been aiming to compete with most over the last 2 years. i'll give you a hint, its not Microsoft anymore.
@SmilinGoat I think Apple's strategy in purchasing Quattro is different from Google's strategy in purchasing admob.
google will not be pleased with this news.
@bob e Schmidt's turn to throw a chair. :)
This is great for Free apps that have Ads in them. This way Apple can take a cut of the Ads as well as the Developer and share it through their developer account without having to visit another site to check on it.
I think Apple is setting up the back end of their mobile devices very nicely with their recent acquisitions. Probably be a year or so before we see this new stuff, but I think the end result is going to be quite nice.
I couldn't have said it better myself
@7egend
I really dont see how a company taking as much of the profits for itself is in any way good for the customer or developers for the platform. i mean, at least google allows pretty much any app onto their store and lets other phone manufacturers use its development kit. Apple is controlling every single part of the product so they get a chunk of money out of every little bit of what goes on on their platform. This is why i'll be trading in my iPhone 3Gs the day Multi touch comes to Android.
@7egend
So Apple handing over your personal information to businesses wanting to better target you with more advertising is OK with you?
--------------------
Apple's privacy policy states (very abbreviated):
"We collect your personal information because it helps us deliver a superior level of customer service.
When you interact with Apple, we may collect personal information relevant to the situation, such as your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and contact preferences; your credit card information and information about the Apple products you own...
We collect information regarding customer activities on our websites, MobileMe, and the iTunes Store.
Apple and its partners and licensors may provide certain features or services through the Service that rely upon device-based location information. To provide such features or services, where available, Apple and its partners and licensors may collect, use, transmit, process and maintain your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your device...
WHEN WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION
With our service providers, vendors, and strategic partners
There are also times when it may be advantageous for Apple to make certain personal information about you available to companies that Apple has a strategic relationship with or that perform work for Apple to provide products and services to you on our behalf."
--------------------
For someone like myself who uses a lot of Apple products, the idea that that information is now 100% in the hands of a company like Quattro Wireless makes me uncomfortable. Targeting me with 3rd party ads tailored to my Apple device habits isn't the kind of innovation and end-user experience I expect from Apple.
I'm sorry, did Engadget just DEMAND more ads on mobile phones? I mean, I know you make money that way... but you're supposed to be repping the rest of us and hating the increase in ads...
@ewinNoVA
Yewp. Dont forget all of the meltdown when you had ads in ZuneHD games.
HOW DARE THEY SULLY MY GAMING EXPERIENCE WITH MESSAGES TO INDUCE PROFIT!!!!!
All of the little Apple fanatics were just howling at how MS just screwed it up again!
Now the possibly of ads in apps for an Apple product?
"this is good news if (and only if) it either makes life easier on devs that want to offer awesome free apps or finally ushers in the era of free, non-carrier-subsidized, ad-supported smartphones that don't suck. "
Uh huh. So in other words it's stupid unless the phones run ads instead of you getting a carrier-subsidized device that does not. A completely absurd hope to pad Apple's rear so Engadget wont have to be critical of them.
@ewinNoVA
Yewp. Dont forget all of the meltdown when you had ads in ZuneHD games.
HOW DARE THEY SULLY MY GAMING EXPERIENCE WITH MESSAGES TO INDUCE PROFIT!!!!!
All of the little Apple fanatics were just howling at how MS just screwed it up again!
Now the possibly of ads in apps for an Apple product?
"this is good news if (and only if) it either makes life easier on devs that want to offer awesome free apps or finally ushers in the era of free, non-carrier-subsidized, ad-supported smartphones that don't suck. "
Uh huh. So in other words it's stupid unless the phones run ads instead of you getting a carrier-subsidized device that does not. A completely absurd hope to pad Apple's rear so Engadget wont have to be critical of them.
@LAY Really? You are comparing first party included on the device games that had ads BEFORE you could do anything. With 3rd party ad supported apps.
And you cant see the difference? Engadget has the dumbest and most inane seething worthless brain dead commenters of any site ever. Even worse than techCrunch.
@(Unverified)
What's the difference?
You get ads EITHER WAY.
You just have to pick you poison.
@LAY
No, dumbass. In the ad-supported free apps or games on the iPhone, you can still play the game while the ads are onscreen or docked. On the Zune, guess what? The ad loads and sits on your screen BEFORE YOU CAN GET INTO THE GAME.
Still can't see the difference? That's because you're an Apple-hating idiot, as I've pointed out before, and as you seem to want to prove even further with every comment you make.
@Jack
Either way it's still an ad. Just because Apple is doing it differently, doesn't make it less annoying. Ad's on this site don't load before I read an article, yet thousands of visitors use AdBlock. They don't want to see ad's. Douche.
@daytripper
Apple has nothing to do with it. These are third party apps, and their developers are choosing to put ads in the free versions. The difference is that you don't have to WAIT and stare at your screen while an ad PLAYS LIKE A MOVIE, FULL SCREEN, before you can actually play the damn game.
Why don't you make more excuses for Microsoft, you jackass.The only way this would in any way be comparable to loading this site is if an ad took over your entire monitor and played for 30 seconds before you could see the site. Oh, and adblock isn't an option because the ad running beforehand is the only way the site will load.
See the problem now? Or are you going to keep making excuses for something that should be completely unacceptable?
@Jack
It's still an ad.
you just decided because Apple did it that it's ok, and different.
If you just admit it, you will feel better. :)
Now, I'm just a caveman... Your world confuses and frightens me... Sometimes while I'm playing Doom on my iPhone, I see and ad on one of the red keys I used to open a door and I think, how did that get there? What evil magic could have scribbled down a Viagra pill advertisement on the back of a mancubus?
I don't know! But, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, there is one thing I do know... If a company wants to be purchased by another company for $275 million, there is no reason that they should float at least a little of that cash my way.
@cherryboom
Is it me or has the quality of the Apple ass-kissers gone downhill as of late?
I got free apps! Yeah! :) And they're covered with ads :( Why am I paying 90$ a month for this ?!
@jakeZ Ahh so maybe you should move the mythical phone os that comes with EVERY app ever made by any developer for free, included with your plan that has nothing to do with any of it.
The massive amount of jackassery on this site is embarrassing.
@LAY I imagine anyone with 1/2 a fucking useable brain probably comments infrequently on this ridiculous day care blog, for 14 year olds like your self.
It's 9:59am.
I'm waiting for those 6 Apple announcements of iPhone stats or buyouts, or rumors to be posted on Engadget. Yeah, we know it.
@(Unverified)
#1 Thank you for calling my 14. That actually would be nice if I was.
#2 "I imagine anyone with 1/2 a fucking useable brain probably comments infrequently on this ridiculous day care blog,"
Mr. Pot, care to meet Mr. Kettle?
Why yes, Mr. Pot! Indeed he is black!
Good stuff. With Quattro's purchase then Apple will be able to better integrate tools for devs to display ads on their free apps. More of the complete package if you will. I think this gives Apple the competitive advantage even on free apps.
Bring on the in-OS ads! I hope they're cute and clever.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/apple-patent-application-reveals-ad-supported-os-armageddon/
@LAY
No, it's not you. These iDiots will suck Apples cock, no matter how greasy it is.
Om nom nom nom !
This now puts apple in the game with Google and RIM in terms of providing mobile advertising services to their developers. This what I mean:
http://qandil.ca/techblog/2010/01/06/apple-acquires-quattro-wireless/
If this was used to subsidize device prices, at what point do you stop receiving ads because you've made up the revenue? Sounds like an easy way to bombard you with endless ads from that angle.
As far as giving devs greater freedom and capabilities with in game ads, I'm all for it. I love having free games that I can decide are really worth my money or not- I don't want to drop .99+ for something that really sucks. And if you have a problem with the ads- support the freaking dev and buy it if you like it so much or just stop playing the game...
Sometime towards the end of Jan. 2010..the following words will be said: "Today, Apple is presenting 7 new products! A multimedia Reader, An anywhere, anytime Mobile Video Conference Device, A portable Game Player with access to over 80,000 downloadable games and real-time online play, A real time social network convergent device, Text, Word, Spreadsheets, Data Bases on the go and in the cloud and finally a Mobile Multimedia Hub with access to thousands of songs, movies, tv shows and VOD! Slimmer than the current iPhone, 3G and WiFi capable, 9.97 inch multi-touch display, built in resident apps to get you started out of the box....Shipping March 23rd...for a price of $899.00"