Apple's Automated iAd Change Might Be Coming Really Soon Now

Whispers have already been heard as early as 2014. Some insiders are even wondering why it took Apple this long. But the it seems that Cupertino has finally called it quits and will be ceasing its advertisement selling business. While the iAd brand will remain, it will be transformed into a more automated advertisement platform rather than one where Apple has full and tight control over. This change will be the strongest evidence of how it failed to make a change, or even a dent, in the ad business.

In 2010, the late Steve Jobs launched iAd because, as he himself frankly said, mobile advertising platforms back then sucked. Sadly, Jobs perhaps never envisioned that Apple itself would actually suck at it as well. As of 2014, iAd only accounted for 2.5% of the company's quarterly earnings. 2015 actually saw it rise to 5%, but not enough to make a significant difference, especially when compared to the likes of Google and Facebook, whose ad revenues take up a huge part of its income.

The problem with Apple's iAd was Apple itself. While the platform did have Apple's clout and the promise of reach via iPhones and iPads, it also came with Apple's iron grip on it. At one point, Apple even refused to share marketing data, a critical input for any advertiser or publisher. Getting ad space on iAd also involved dealing with humans, which can be error-prone, long, and stressful.

In short, Apple didn't really know how to do ads, so it is now leaving it in the hands of those who do, the publishers themselves. Automating the ad buying process could invite back publishers to the platform, perhaps to the detriment of the likes of Rubicon and MediaMath, whose businesses revolve around automated ad buying. Details about the new platform are still scarce at this point, but sources say that publishers will be able keep all of the revenue. That would be surprising, if not uncharacteristic, for Apple.

Of course, it's all unofficial for now, but insider sources say Apple's isn't keen on delaying it any further, considering how long in the making the move might have been. We could very well see this transformation of iAd take place in the next week or two.

VIA: BuzzFeed