iOS no more iAds? What's going on?

[1458279]

Apple to shut down iAd App Network on June 30

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/01/15/apple-to-shut-down-iad-app-network-on-june-30

I'm lost on this, was iAd not working well for Apple? Was it not popular? What are the thoughts from developers that have been using iAd, is this a game changer or are other's already covering what Apple was doing?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I'm lost on this, was iAd not working well for Apple?

Did you ever read any of the articles on the front page or iOS blog of MacRumors about iAds? None of them ever suggested iAds was going well. They always said advertisers found it complicated, confusing, expensive, and limited.

Personally, I just recall how the fill rates were never above 70%. I reached the conclusion that ads are no way to monitize apps. They're irritating to your users and they don't bring in much money to the developer.

If you want to stick with ads, there are plenty of alternatives to iAds. There's always Google Ads, for example, if you'd like to sell the souls of your users to the devil.

 

[grandM]

Did you ever read any of the articles on the front page or iOS blog of MacRumors about iAds? None of them ever suggested iAds was going well. They always said advertisers found it complicated, confusing, expensive, and limited.

Personally, I just recall how the fill rates were never above 70%. I reached the conclusion that ads are no way to monitize apps. They're irritating to your users and they don't bring in much money to the developer.

If you want to stick with ads, there are plenty of alternatives to iAds. There's always Google Ads, for example, if you'd like to sell your soul to the devil.

so what is the best way to monetize in your opinion

 

[1458279]

Did you ever read any of the articles on the front page or iOS blog of MacRumors about iAds? None of them ever suggested iAds was going well. They always said advertisers found it complicated, confusing, expensive, and limited.

Personally, I just recall how the fill rates were never above 70%. I reached the conclusion that ads are no way to monitize apps. They're irritating to your users and they don't bring in much money to the developer.

If you want to stick with ads, there are plenty of alternatives to iAds. There's always Google Ads, for example, if you'd like to sell the souls of your users to the devil.

Actually, no, this is all surprising news to me. I know that ads where having trouble, but I figured that was supply/demand issues, too many apps trying to get ads.

In fact, I heard Flappy Birds was raking in big money (I know, Flappy Birds is old news). I wonder what the free apps are doing.

I actually wouldn't mind a push to free apps being "sample size" apps and real apps being paid.

Maybe this is a push in that direction. There wasn't much control over number of ads shown and types, so it quickly became a race to the bottom and spam won.

 

[arn]

Presumably, developers and advertisers will shift to admob and competing offerings? I'd guess a lot of the ads well shift to that, or to Facebook ads. Isn't a lot of mobile ads for other mobile apps?

The big money in mobile has been in in (iap) freemium, but it is usually combo of that and in-app ads.

arn

 

[1458279]

Presumably, developers and advertisers will shift to admob and competing offerings? I'd guess a lot of the ads well shift to that, or to Facebook ads. Isn't a lot of mobile ads for other mobile apps?

The big money in mobile has been in in (iap) freemium, but it is usually combo of that and in-app ads.

arn

I don't have any current numbers, but if Apple couldn't make something work, I can't see how someone else can.
Apple has kind of a "stay out of the gutter" policy, so maybe that's where the ads have gone. Not to say ads aren't valid or that they are gutter, but that spam is gutter like and I doubt Apple likes spam.

My understanding is that a lot of ads were for other apps. Everyone trying to get stage time n the devices any way they can.

 

[perlsyntax]

I don't have any current numbers, but if Apple couldn't make something work, I can't see how someone else can.
Apple has kind of a "stay out of the gutter" policy, so maybe that's where the ads have gone. Not to say ads aren't valid or that they are gutter, but that spam is gutter like and I doubt Apple likes spam.

My understanding is that a lot of ads were for other apps. Everyone trying to get stage time n the devices any way they can.

Let see if the iAds going to free or something at wwdc 2016.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

so what is the best way to monetize in your opinion

Charge for your app/service/game. This is always the way it has been for desktop, server, console, and gameboy/DS software. I don't know why people think that the web or mobile should be monetized in a different way.

Either your software is worth charging for or it isn't, and if it isn't, why are you distributing it? If your concern is that people will be turned away by the price/not see the value, offer a free trial of some sort.

Don't give away good software for free with ads. That lowers the quality/experience of your app, and you end up making less money.

Bombarding users with helpful/useful IAP isn't the answer, either. I'm okay with the obviously useless/purely visual IAP some games offer (IE, Valve and their hats. Blizzard and their alternate skins.)

 

[1458279]

Charge for your app/service/game. This is always the way it has been for desktop, server, console, and gameboy/DS software. I don't know why people think that the web or mobile should be monetized in a different way.

Either your software is worth charging for or it isn't, and if it isn't, why are you distributing it? If your concern is that people will be turned away by the price/not see the value, offer a free trial of some sort.

Don't give away good software for free with ads. That lowers the quality/experience of your app, and you end up making less money.

Bombarding users with helpful/useful IAP isn't the answer, either. I'm okay with the obviously useless/purely visual IAP some games offer (IE, Valve and their hats. Blizzard and their alternate skins.)

That's an interesting point. It seems Apple may have led the way towards the "race to the bottom" in mobile software, and now has changed direction, we have a chance to move back to a proven business model for software.

Many have struggled to make things work in the overcrowded app market. It's very hard for you product to been seen in a flooded market. If we get rid of all the "free with ads" apps, most developers would leave. The "craps" would have to leave and only the good ones would stay.

This sounds like good news for the developers of quality software.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Many have struggled to make things work in the overcrowded app market. It's very hard for you product to been seen in a flooded market. If we get rid of all the "free with ads" apps, most developers would leave. The "craps" would have to leave and only the good ones would stay.

This sounds like good news for the developers of quality software.

I find it hard to imagine ads going away. People who (mistakenly) think ads are a good idea will just swap from iAd to another ad service.

The problem, in part, is the very low barrier to entry Apple created by only requiring $100/year, coupled with a very lame app review process.

Software on the other platforms I mentioned had a pretty high barrier to entry - you needed to be able to afford to make and distribute media holding your software.

But the Mac App Store hasn't had the barrage of crap like the iOS App Store did. I don't know why. Might be some combination of the lack of ads and the lower popularity of OS X. How's the Windows App Store doing? Do people use it?

Steam is full of great games, but I think that comes from them having a much more thorough review process.

 

[perlsyntax]

I find it hard to imagine ads going away. People who (mistakenly) think ads are a good idea will just swap from iAd to another ad service.

The problem, in part, is the very low barrier to entry Apple created by only requiring $100/year, coupled with a very lame app review process.

Software on the other platforms I mentioned had a pretty high barrier to entry - you needed to be able to afford to make and distribute media holding your software.

But the Mac App Store hasn't had the barrage of crap like the iOS App Store did. I don't know why. Might be some combination of the lack of ads and the lower popularity of OS X. How's the Windows App Store doing? Do people use it?

Steam is full of great games, but I think that comes from them having a much more thorough review process.

We have to see what happen at WWDC 2016.I hope they come up with something better.

 

[arn]

I don't have any current numbers, but if Apple couldn't make something work, I can't see how someone else can.
Apple has kind of a "stay out of the gutter" policy, so maybe that's where the ads have gone. Not to say ads aren't valid or that they are gutter, but that spam is gutter like and I doubt Apple likes spam.

My understanding is that a lot of ads were for other apps. Everyone trying to get stage time n the devices any way they can.

The thing is Apple never really played ball with advertisers. So it may not have been that appealing to them.

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/18/apple-iad-stingy/

arn

 

[1458279]

We have to see what happen at WWDC 2016.I hope they come up with something better.

The whole business model is of giving something of value while being supported by ads has a number of flaws.

Look at free with ads TV that's been around for decades. You automatically have a conflict, the user wants no ads, but might take a few ads. The dev wants the most money. The people placing the ad wants free or near free ads.

They are all fighting over the same dollar. This will always lead to a race to the bottom. Free TV had to be regulated for the number of ads. Then they passed a law over how loud the ads could be.

It's always a race to the bottom, always.

Someone has to draw the line somewhere. The devs can by never offering free apps that aren't "sample size" apps. Apple needs to focus on control over jailbreaking or something to control things so people can't steal apps as easy.

Just as much as Apple has drawn the line on the cost for being on the AppStore at 30%. They can draw that line because they have control. Microsoft can come in and say 20% for their store, but who would care? They don't have power, Apple does.