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Mobile ad wars: AdMob says Apple prohibiting its ads from iPhone

AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui ripped changes in Apple's iOS developer terms. In short, Hamoui says that Apple's developer terms if enforced could prohibit developers from AdMob and Google ads on the iPhone.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui ripped changes in Apple's iOS developer terms. In short, Hamoui says that Apple's developer terms if enforced could prohibit developers from AdMob and Google ads on the iPhone.

You just knew it would come to this. Apple tried to buy AdMob. Google won the company. Then Apple bought Quattro Wireless. Then came iAds, which aims to secure app advertising that will elicit an emotional response (whatever that means). Actually, Apple is just trying to secure as much revenue as it can from its app ecosystem. Developers, heavily courted by both Google and Apple, are in the middle.

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Obviously, Apple and Google are on a mobile ad collision course and AdMob can't afford to be cut out of the iPhone advertising business. Hamoui writes on the AdMob blog:

Apple proposed new developer terms on Monday that, if enforced as written, would prohibit app developers from using AdMob and Google’s advertising solutions on the iPhone.  These advertising related terms both target companies with competitive mobile technologies (such as Google), as well as any company whose primary business is not serving mobile ads. This change threatens to decrease – or even eliminate – revenue that helps to support tens of thousands of developers. The terms hurt both large and small developers by severely limiting their choice of how best to make money.  And because advertising funds a huge number of free and low cost apps, these terms are bad for consumers as well. Let’s be clear. This change is not in the best interests of users or developers.

Hamoui doesn't outline any direct threats. His appeal is directed at developers. And it's no coincidence that Apple CEO Steve Jobs did some serious developer courting too. In his keynote Monday, Jobs touted Apple's rev share and how it has paid more than $1 billion to developers.

The mobile ad war is just heating up and both Apple and Google will court developers heavily. Will Apple be the only ad revenue game in its ecosystem?

Related: Game on: Google closes AdMob purchase just in time for Apple's iAds

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