Apple's iAd Chief Leaving for Venture Capital Firm

andy millerAllThingsD reports that Andy Miller, the former founder and CEO of Quattro Wireless who became Apple's vice president of mobile advertising and head of the iAd program with Apple's acquisition of Quattro in January 2010, is planning to leave Apple in the near future. Miller is said to be leaving to become a general partner at venture capital firm Highland Capital, which had previously funded Quattro.

Sources said Miller — who sold Quattro Wireless, the mobile advertising company he co-founded in 2006, to Apple in early 2010 for $275 million — will become a general partner at Highland Capital, the Boston-based venture firm that had funded Quattro.

Apple will search for a replacement for Miller, whose staff was told of the impending departure today.

Apple purchased Quattro Wireless after it lost out to Google in an attempt to acquire AdMob. Apple was reportedly close to a deal with AdMob when Google swooped in with a last-minute offer to win the competition.

Apple's iAd program went live in July 2010 as Apple's effort to revolutionize mobile advertising with high-quality, interactive ads for iOS devices. The effort is seen as having had only marginal success so far, however, with some advertisers turned off by high costs, Apple's demands for control over the creative process, and iOS-only availability. Apple has cut buy-in fees for advertisers several times in order to try to boost interest and fill ad slots that are growing quickly as iOS device sales continue to explode and more developers integrate iAd into their apps.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

troop231 Avatar
169 months ago
I'll gladly take his spot even for 50% of what he makes :p
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kas23 Avatar
169 months ago
The beginning of the end of iAds...or was that when Apple began to continuously axe prices?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
169 months ago
Not surprised. iAds is relatively a sinking ship and under Apple's auspices probably a very frustration environment to work in having a) run your own company and b) dealing with Apple's strict guidelines...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dreamworks21 Avatar
169 months ago
His parting shot was taking down the Apple Store this morning while shouting "so long suckers!!!!". Steve will have his revenge...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jackhdev Avatar
169 months ago
[/COLOR]
Good reason why you will never get it, same here I do it for 40%;)

----------



Make better software.

----------



I don't really think iAd is something Apple cares about. Its more for add to the developer who can't sell their wares.
Do you know what fill rate is? If there are 100 people using your app at once, and the fill rate is 10%, then only 10 out of those 100 people will see ads. That's horrible!! On the iPhone, it's 90%, which is much better. It doesn't have anything to do with the quality of software. Additionally, apps that are free are downloaded apparently 75% more than paid apps, so that's a GREAT reason to put ads in. More people using your app, and more money. Know what you're talking about, please.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HarryKeogh Avatar
169 months ago
I'll gladly take his spot even for 50% of what he makes :p

I will do it for 49%!*











*OK, .03%
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)