Apple set to unveil mobile advertising platform

Apple is poised to introduce its much-anticipated mobile advertising platform during its Thursday media event, which is also expected to yield the latest version of the computing giant's iPhone operating system. The Wall Street Journal reports Apple will formally announce its mobile ad network plans during the scheduled press event, which takes place on the company's Cupertino, Calif. campus--the platform is believed to be built on top of the Quattro Wireless ad network, which Apple acquired for $275 million in early January.

Details on Apple's mobile advertising efforts are scarce, but a recent job posting appears to offer some insight into its plans. Apple is looking for "an experienced interactive developer" to "redefine the advertising on mobile devices," according to the description on the Jobs at Apple website--the eventual hire will be responsible for front-end web UI development of digital advertising experiences, with duties including development of premium brand interactive ad units based on client requirements and platform capability, WebKit/HTML5/CSS3/JS-based experiences "that push the bounds of mobile engagement and richness, but are also bandwidth efficient and performance minded," and leveraging and contributing to code framework and object library. "Bonus points for having experience developing for the iPhone browser and/or applications," Apple adds. Conventional wisdom suggests Apple could be looking to incorporate a proprietary mobile advertising framework in future versions of the iPhone Software Developers Kit, greatly simplifying developer efforts to add advertising to their applications.

Apple has nevertheless sent out mixed signals over its vision of the mobile ad segment. In February, it warned iPhone developers that applications built with features based on user location must provide "beneficial information," adding it will reject apps that incorporate location to deliver targeted advertising. A post on the iPhone Dev Center website encourages programmers to enhance their iPhone and iPod apps via the Core Location framework, which enables software to pinpoint users' whereabouts and deliver information like local weather and restaurant recommendations. "If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user's location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store," the post promises.

As for iPhone OS 4.0, also expected to emerge Thursday, the smart money forecasts the update will introduce a multitasking solution enabling multiple applications to run concurrently and in the background. In March, AppleInsider reported Apple has developed a "full-on solution" for iPhone multitasking that leverages interface technology already bundled with Mac OS X, but sources did not supply details on how the solution would optimize resource conservation and battery life, two of the largest hurdles facing multitasking support.

For additional analysis and predictions on what industry watchers expect from Apple's media event, check out this FierceWireless sound-off feature.

For more on Apple's mobile ad plans:
- read this Wall Street Journal article