Gurman: Apple Planning to Show Ads in Maps App Starting Next Year
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple wants to start presenting search advertising in its Maps app on the iPhone next year.
“I think the technical work to introduce search advertisements in the Apple Maps app is already underway, and we should expect to see it deployed early next year,” Gurman said today in the subscriber-only edition of his “Power On” newsletter.
Advertisements in the Apple Maps app would be sponsored search results rather than typical banner ads seen on websites. A fast food restaurant, for example, may pay Apple to appear towards the top of the search results when a user searches for “burgers” or “fries.” Many comparable applications, such as Google Maps, Waze, and Yelp, already include search advertisements.
Apple currently shows search advertisements in the App Store, enabling developers to pay to promote their products to consumers who enter relevant terms into the App Store. Apple also intends to display adverts on the Software Store’s “Today” page and a new “You Might Also Like” section at the bottom of app listings, in addition to banner ads in Apple’s News and Stocks apps.
Gurman said last week that Apple intends to greatly increase its advertising business over time. According to his newsletter, Apple’s advertising operation generates roughly $4 billion in income each year, and Apple’s advertising boss Todd Teresi hopes to boost that amount to at least $10 billion per year over time.
