Cupertino might allow advertisers to target its users better

Jun 1, 2013 14:11 GMT  ·  By

Similar to the way Facebook and Twitter have created ways to monetize usage of their service through ads, Apple reportedly wants to instate an ad exchange service that alerts advertisers of the presence of Apple users.

Business Insider claims to have heard that “Apple [is] planning to launch an ad exchange,” adding that the person who leaked this information is an executive for “one of the biggest players in advertising.”

The publication admits it is unable to confirm the rumor and, moreover, “a couple of other sources we talked to said they'd heard nothing of the kind,” it adds.

“But ... it's interesting that a bunch of people in the mobile ad business expect, even want, Apple to launch one, perhaps inside iAd, its existing mobile ad network,” the report notes.

Such a service would enable advertisers to target Mac/iPhone/iPad users as they enter the Apple ecosystem, tipping them off that they’re using iOS or OS X. Ads could then be served targeting those particular users.