Apple developer agreement change thumbs nose at Google.
Apple has tweaked its developer agreement to allow iPhone apps to use ad units from third-party mobile advertising networks. However, Google subsidiary AdMob is seemingly out in the cold.
The new terms allow developers to collect analytics data from their apps for use by a mobile advertising network to track the success of its ads. This had been blocked last time Apple changed its developer agreement.
However, read the wording of the relevant clause specifying when such data collection is allowed:
"The collection, use or disclosure is for the purpose of serving advertising to Your Application; is provided to an independent advertising service provider whose primary business is serving mobile ads (for example, an advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent); and the disclosure is limited to UDID, user location data, and other data specifically designated by Apple as available for advertising purposes."
Owned by a developer or distributor of mobile operating systems? That'll be AdMob then.
It's an aggressive statement of intent with regards to Apple's rivalry with Google and its Android OS, and one that looks set to spark more controversy in the weeks to come. As things stand, the wording is pretty unambiguous.
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