Apple Maps To Get Ads Soon: Will It Affect The Overall User Experience?

Ad placement is one of the most critical factors for any application for rapid monetization. And, Apple might soon cash in on it by placing ads on the Maps app. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has pointed out that the Apple Maps app will make space for ads starting next year. But these ads would be different from the conventional ads we see on other apps or websites.

Apple Maps With Ads

We generally see ads on apps where they are placed either below or at the top of the page like banner ads. Ads appear on gaming apps when players pass or fail through a level. Gurman states that ads on Apple Maps will be different from conventional apps.

Instead, Apple might bring in paid search results to Maps. For instance, a fast food chain or a retailer can pay Apple to appear at the top of the search results on Apple Maps. This could appear when a user searches for 'burgers' or 'fries' on Apple Maps, explains Gurman.

A similar setup is already available on other mapping services like Google Maps, Yelp, and Waze. Apple also has a similar structure for the App Store where developers can pay Apple to promote their apps for users with relevant keywords.

source  

Apple Advertising Expansion

Rumors of Apple expanding its advertising business have been rife lately. A few reports also talk about Apple's plans to show advertisements in the Today tab of the App Store. Ads might also appear in the 'You Might Like' section at the bottom of the app listings. Apple might also introduce banner ads on the Stocks app and Apple News.

Gurman further points out that Apple generates USD 4 billion in revenue with its ads. The company could further boost its ad revenue to USD 10 billion in the coming months. "I believe the engineering work is already underway to launch search ads in the Apple Maps app, and we should begin to see it be implemented sometime next year," Gurman stated in his newsletter.

Apart from Apple, Netflix is said to be working on placing ads on its platform. Ad-based plans on Netflix could drop the price and boost the subscription rate. However, it remains to be seen how Apple and Netflix make ad placement a hassle-free experience for their users.