Apple revises iOS rules on outside advertisers, cuts out Google, Adobe by implication
By Donald Melanson 
posted June 8th 2010 2:52PM
posted June 8th 2010 2:52PM
Apple and Google's newfound rivalry in the mobile advertising space was already pretty interesting to watch as it stood, and it looks like things just got more interesting still. As expected following Steve Jobs' comments at D8 last week, Apple has now revised its rules on advertising in iOS to allow outside advertisers to collect stats for ads, but the company has included some language in the new rules that seems to effectively cut out Google's AdMob. While it obviously doesn't mention Google by name, only "independent" advertising providers can collect tracking stats, and Apple says that any "advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent." That would seem to not only affect AdMob, but Adobe and Greystripe's just-announced effort as well, considering it specifically mentions companies affiliated with "development environments other than Apple." We told you things would get interesting. Head on past the break for the complete relevant section.
3.3.9 You and Your Applications may not collect, use, or disclose to any third party, user or device data without prior user consent, and then only under the following conditions:
- The collection, use or disclosure is necessary in order to provide a service or function that is directly relevant to the use of the Application. For example, without Apple's prior written consent, You may not use third party analytics software in Your Application to collect and send device data to a third party for aggregation, processing, or analysis.
- The collection, use or disclosure is for the purpose of serving advertising to Your Application; is provided to an independent advertising service provider whose primary business is serving mobile ads (for example, an advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent); and the disclosure is limited to UDID, user location data, and other data specifically designated by Apple as available for advertising purposes.
@shul
I'm sure google would like to be there.
But on the other hand, if I have an iphone I am still using google to search everything anyways... and so google gets paid.
On the other hand, I am nothing but pissed to have to deal with pop-up ads on my phone which cost me a couple hundred to buy and another $75/month in usage fees... part of which goes to my carrier for less than unlimited data - which apple just used to download a spinning nissan onto my damned phone!
So.... screw apple!
I think I'll by a nice android unit.
@shul
Good point
Steve better get it while he can because android and chrome are moving now and as they come more online will only begin to move more rapidly.
While apple is trying to figure out another way to nickle & dime its sheeple, google just might come busting in and eat their lunch for them.
I've seen a lot of movies and the good guys usually win in the end.
Google prevails!
Antitrust laws, they has it.
@Neferlem antitrust for 3 products, thats a good one
@Formul
Next step : unable to type "Google" or "Adobe" on iPhone/iPod/iPad keyboard screen.
@Formul It's hard to argue that Apple doesn't hold a monopoly over application vending. Heck, Steve makes the argument in his keynote: it's a billion-dollar market (mature enough), Apple sells the vast majority of apps, and really, no one comes close. When Apple uses their leverage as the best App Store available, a TOS adjustment like this is simply anti-competitive.
I bet within 2 years, Apple is forced to somehow allow third-party App Stores to have official compatibility (and not just through the questionably legal method of jailbreaking.)
Steve, please stop giving me reasons not to buy your products!
i dont think its that strange ...
again...just dont get the fuss. if im trying win the heart of a certain young woman, i dont take another guy on the date with me who wants her as well. wtf is that? its simple to me. nothing to wrap your brain around.
Will Google allow iAds on Android? If they want to not be evil, they'll have to.
@Keleko
Apple won't allow iAds on Android. They aren't trying to push ads. They are trying to entice developers.
@Lord Vader Oh let's just blow up the Death Stars and be done with it. I don't want to have to suffer through Mark Hamill's bad acting again.
Since no one seems to have read my post, I quote:
"Every person who has commented in this thread save for about 3 have the reading level of a 3 year old.
"You and Your Applications may not collect, use, or disclose to any third party, user or device data...."
This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with who can advertise. It's just about STATISTICS. Read it again. Holy fuck, one of the biggest :facepalm: ever."
@curtisslaynegmailcom
They make their comments based on their uniformed impressions from the article title. There is no other thought for them past that point, just the same talking points they've seen repeated elsewhere that they think will some way peripherally relate to the topic at hand.
This site is becoming a joke.
@curtisslaynegmailcom
You obviously don't know anything about Google (or ads in general for that matter). They make money off their statistics and data, it allows them to better leverage Ad prices and monetize on the ads themselves. Data aggregation is key and inherent in the advertising business.
But nice try.
steves turned into such a jer recently
Steve Jobs to web developers: "We believe in open web standards such as HTML5. You're worried that there is no DRM for your videos? No worries, you can create an app for our iPhone/iPad and we'll only take 40% of your advertising revenue!"
Anti trust lawsuit anyone?
Anti-trust? Thats just wrong. I cant believe Apple is going to tell me what advertising I can use in my apps. I will DEFINITELY never develop iPhone apps again, I'm so sick of this shit.
@GadgetFunkie Yes Google would allow connectors to all of those services. Goggle is about the OS not about controlling which applications can be used with their OS. The reason you won't see iTunes, iBooks, etc is because Apple would never allow it on anything other than Apple products.
I'm curious to see where this leads.
Apple used to work in its ow niche, but recently they have come more into the mainstream.
Problem with that is that in order to expand past a certain point every company needs to either make deals with other company's or buy other company's.
A third option would be sell themselves but we know thats not going to happen, anyway should Apple make the choice to start buying other company's they will basically become what Microsoft was during much of the 90's.
And that's something I rather not see, Apple's drift to control everything is just not healthy.
Like Steve said, they were forced into the ad business. Mobile ads are so horrible. iAds really are going to improve ads.
There's a few things I've come to conclude over the past few weeks. First, Android fans have mastered copy and paste like none before them. Second, that Engadget has a financial incentive to rile them up.
seems to me that apple want a free ride from everyone and doesn't give anything back, so I suggest to google that they should starting charging apple device users for access to google maps, calendars and email to offset tangible *1 and intangible *2 costs;
*1 developer time, bandwidth, maps
*2 dealing with apple
I think that there are a lot more nasty things Google could do to Apple if it wanted to. If they keep this up, maybe Google will degrade Youtube videos. Add a few unnecessary process loops to make Google maps look laggy and drain the battery. Permanently block apple users from using google docs. Put negative reviews of Apple products higher in search.
Apple isn't sharing native iOS metrics data with their direct competitor, google, which is upsetting to you, Meanwhile Google is making money off the gulf oil spill and feeding BP-provided news about it in return, even on their ad-laden pages on the iphone's Safari browser.
This seems like a dangerous road for Apple to go down. They're effectively making themselves even more closed off. I think most consumers can justify it some for convenience, but now it's just starting to get weird.
http://www.professorhobo.com/2010/05/31/benefits
This is a big, big mistake by Apple. It will not end well for them.
thats the last straw ... i am ebaying my ipad ... was going to keep it for now but apple is just out of control ... their anticompetetive practices are out of control.
@darthgault would you post the link to your auction? I'd like to bid on it. Thanks.
@GadgetFunkie: Actually, Google will love to have access to iTunes, iBooks, and Safari. As long as your Android phone uses Google services (i.e. Maps and Search), Google is one happy camper.
As I've said over the Apple/Adobe fight, Apple is sealing their own fate. This ad thing is a huge deal. First their platform was limited to advertisers with multimillion dollar budgets. Now only tiny "unaffiliated" networks can compete. What does that mean? All other advertisers will focus their efforts on the Android platform. That will bring a lot of attention and affirmation to Android, to the determent of Apple.
This is similar to the Flash/third party compiler argument. All of the short-sighted fanbois with no business sense applauded it because they "hate banner ads." But in the real world, the success of the iPhone has everything to do with the apps and their developers. In that one sweeping move, Steve Jobs erected a middle finger at the development community and said "you're either with me or against me." Flash has 1.5 million developers. Unity 3d has many tens of thousands of game developers (who made some of the most successful iPhone games, BTW). The other third party platforms combined have many more tens of thousands of devs. All of them are now going to move over to the Android platform. This will make Apple's single perceived advantage, the apps, null and void.
I assure all of you, Apple's recent heavy handed moves towards exclusion rather than inclusion are going to haunt them. Every hot device or company has their day in the sun, then fade into the background. Apple's day of sun has already begun to cloud over.
@beenyweenies the only fate being sealed is the fate of Engadget comments sections. At this rate, by the time E3 hits, we'll see an article about the Nintendo 3DS and Engadget commenters will post over and over again that this is another unconscionable mistake on Apple's inevitable path toward an untimely demise.
@cruncis ...what a rant you even managed to get Nintendo in there.
@cruncis
You're welcome to whistle past the graveyard all you want. Just know, the war is on.
Admittedly Engadget's poorly conceived articles/inciting headlines don't help matters, but I really think some of you need to take a deep breath, relax, and, perhaps, work on reading comprehension. Google can put advertisements in iOS apps all they want. Nothing about that has changed. Google can make loads of cash on the iPhone, both in the browser and in native iOS apps. What they can't do is collect metrics data from iOS apps.
I like Apple doing this.
That's the way Apple, just make enemies of everybody.
Some wise person once said: "treat well people she you're going up, you're gonna meet them when you go down."
iAds is the most abusive piece of adcrap I ever saw. Fanboy calls that apple iAd is less annoying than other advertisement is a 5 minute drive away from a mental check. Sorry apple, go *uck yourselfs. The product keeps looking worst and worst and the cult mindset really can't disguise how pathetic those people are with the sheeple mehs! to the turtle necked one.
Seems to me like Jobs is making this personal, and when you make business personal it inevitably fails.
@2late2die
I agree 100%.
@2late2die
I agree this is going to get ugly, do they not remember what made the iphone great in the first place - google maps, and integrated searching.
Without google the iPhone may have not had the success it's had.
@GadgetFunkie
You should really drop that argument as it is so ridiculously wrong. Yes Google would allow it. Any direct or indirect competitor to Google is allowed and has been allowed on the Android platform.
Please, go enlighten yourself.
alright, google, time to pull the plug on all your services and apps for iphone. Leave it whimpering in the shadow of android. Fight fire with fire.
I think it's hilarious that Apple's giving Google and Adobe the finger. Both companies want to get Apple so bad, and yet all Apple has to do is mention iPhone and the spotlight floods Apple again. I don't mind Google doing whatever they want, but Im sick Adobe PERIOD They either need to start sucking up and playing by the rules or just leave. It seems like everyday those fuckers are bitching about something. They neglected my computer for all of these years and now that Apple's popular they want to come? Nah, fuck them. I've lost respect for the POS company. HTML5 all the way.
Can't wait for Google's response. I just know it's gonna be good!
People who act like this is good (Google) Vs. evil (Apple) make me laugh.
No one can still can give me a legitimate reason why Googles approach with Android is better than Apples approach with iOS.
My favorite is when people complain that you have to jailbreak your iPhone to get features but forget to mention that you have to make a "custom ROM" to get special features in Android.