Apple plans to introduce full-screen video iAds for apps on the iPhone and the iPad later this year, reports AdAge. The new ads, described as “interstitials,” will allow developers to opt into ads that play in between levels within a game or in between articles in a news-style app. Full screen ads will mark a departure from Apple’s typical advertising style, which has limited iPhone iAds within the App Store and iTunes Radio to less obtrusive banners that must be clicked for a video ad to be played.
Today, Apple’s iAds aren’t that intrusive and mostly take the form of smaller banners at the bottom of some applications. Soon, however, Apple may start to dominate the display of your iOS device with full-screen video ads that load automatically. Ad Age said Wednesday that it has learned from sources that Apple plans to roll-out the new video ads later this year, and that it will begin providing them as an option to advertising partners in a new ad exchange, which Apple reportedly recently launched. Apple prides itself on offering a first-class user experience, but it rids itself of any blame if it’s simply providing these ads, which may actually detract from usability, in third-party applications. After all, it’s a third-party developer’s option as to whether or not to implement intrusive ads or not, and the payout can be huge.