Ads in Maps: Are We on the Precipice of Ads Across All Apple Services?
Ads in Maps: Are We on the Precipice of Ads Across All Apple Services?
Last weekend, Mark Gurman reported that Apple is going to put advertising in its Maps app. Like many people, my reaction to the news was pretty negative. That’s not an unusual response, but on balance, I’m forgiving of ads in many contexts. As the person who sells the ads at MacStories, I understand the economics of the web all too well and recognize advertising’s role in making media affordable to more people. But there are ads, and then there are ads. Some ads and some contexts just don’t work as well as others, which I think is worth exploring when it comes to Maps.
Apple has been creeping deeper and deeper into advertising for years, stretching all the way back to 2010 with iAd. The company said those ads would be different, that they’d be tasteful and fit in nicely with iOS 4’s interface. According to Steve Jobs: