Apple Gets into the Ad Biz

Writing in the 'Bits' blog for the NY Times today, Claire Miller notes a significant acquisition by Apple:


Apple has acquired Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company, for about $300 million, according to a person briefed on the deal.
The purchase marks Apple’s first move into the advertising business, and will put the company into direct competition in the mobile ad market withMicrosoft, Yahoo and Google, which in November agreed to acquire AdMob, another mobile advertising network, for $750 million. 
What's interesting about this acquisition is that it suggests Apple is going to try and compete with those players in an arena in which it really hasn't spent much time before, if you don't count the company's own advertising. Are they really going to run an outside agency, with AEs and Creatives and all the attendant challenges, or is there a different motive? And, are they thinking iPhone ads, or are they really making this acquisition with an eye toward monopolizing the monetization of the iSlate?

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