Apple Launches ‘Tron Legacy’ iAd – First iAd for iPad
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Eight months after Apple unveiled their new iAd mobile advertising service for iOS devices, the company will begin serving their first ads on the iPad today. The company told Advertising Age that they will begin serving ads for Disney’s upcoming movie “Tron Legacy” on iPads running iOS 4.2. The ads are the first to appear on the Apple tablet and will be the only ads appearing on the device this year.
The “Tron Legacy” ads will run in certain iPad apps like TV Guide and will include close to 10 minutes of video content to give viewers an engaging and interactive experience. Users will also be able to find the closest local theater, check showtimes and purchase the “Tron Legacy” soundtrack via a direct link to iTunes from within the ad.
Apple announced their iAd service this past April during the unveiling of iOS 4. iPhone and iPod Touch Developers have been able to use the iAd service since July, subsequent to the launch of iOS 4.
Steve Jobs announced that iPad owners would be able to begin using iAd supported apps this fall after iOS 4.2 became available for the iPad. Although iOS has now been available for several weeks, Apple has not launched the advertising service leading many to speculate that the company was adjusting the service to fit the iPad’s larger screen.
Apple’s iAd service is a direct competitor to rival Google’s recent AdMob acquisition. According to analysts, Apple is expected to take anywhere between 8 -21% of the US mobile advertising market in the first year of iAd being available. Google is currently the leader in the mobile advertising space with analysts estimating the company’s market share around 60%.
Mobile advertising is one of the next big mobile battlegrounds and Apple is gearing up for the fight. With Google’s AdMob acquisition and Apple’s iAd launch, the advertising space is becoming more crowded for independent ad networks like Baltimore based Millennial Media. It will be telling to see how things unfold next year, but it looks like iOS and iAd are off to a good start.
