Report: Apple bringing full screen, interstitial iAds to iPhone

According to a new report from Ad Age, Apple is planning to offer a new option for how iAds are presented on its iOS platform. The new iAd option will allow included video content to play automatically at full screen rather than being prompted by tapping a more subtle banner. While interstitial iAds are already possible for iAds presented on the iPad meant for use in Newsstand apps, the report claims the new options will target both iPhone and iPad users suggesting the option could debut for iPhone and iPod touch users. The report believes the automatically playing, full screen interstitial iAds will likely be presented in between activity rather than interrupting content entirely.

While the report is light on details and seemingly omits existing iPad compatibility from consideration, it cites one source with knowledge that Apple may use its ad exchange that was reported last December to sell the new ads; pricing for the video ads is not yet known.

Since it’s debut in 2010, we have continuously seen Apple adjust and evolve its approach to pricing and marketing iAds. Just months after its launch, Apple cut its price of entry in half to $500,000 from $1M all the way down to $50 options last June.

In their report, Ad Age points out Apple’s place in the ad market relative to its competitors:

Apple reaped $125 million from mobile ad sales in 2012,according to research firm IDC. By comparison Google’s mobile ad network — powered by AdMob, which Google acquired within months of iAds’ launch — grossed $243 million that year, and mobile ad network Millennial Media generated $151 million.

Apple has added audio ads to its iTunes Radio streaming service and supports video ads on that platform for Apple TV, Mac, and PC listeners, but a recent report offered a scathing profile of the behind-the-scenes approach by Apple.