Apple Slashes iAd Minimum Buy-In Fee Yet Again

110326 iad iconApple has cut its minimum iAd buy-in fee to $100,000 according to a report from Advertising Age. The new lower price, one-tenth the $1 million originally required when iAd launched in July of 2010, dropped to $500k and then $300k per package.

Even the $300k level has apparently not been enough to keep existing advertisers on board and bring on new ones to meet the ever-growing number of ad slots available. In addition to the reduced minimum spend, Apple is increasing the cut that developers receive from iAds running within their apps from 60% to 70%. The extra money is expected to cover lower ad rates and encourage developers to include iAds within their applications.

AdAge continues:

Apple is also planning to change the way it charges for ads, which irked some advertisers and agencies. Since it launched in 2010, Apple has charged advertisers twice: a fixed rate for every 1,000 ad impressions plus an additional fee every time a user clicked on the ad. Apple will now only charge the cost-per-thousand rate.

Apple recently hired former Adobe executive Todd Teresi to head up the iAds service after Andy Miller departed to join a venture capital firm.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
se 4 for 2025

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 or So-Called 'iPhone 16E' to Launch

Friday January 10, 2025 9:20 am PST by
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new iPhone SE, and multiple sources lately have commented on the device's launch timing. The latest word comes from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a blog post today, he said the device will be released around the middle of the first half of 2025. In other words, around the quarter mark of 2025. That means the next iPhone SE will likely be ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
AppleEventLogoFeature

Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025

Saturday January 11, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple's slate of 2025 products look to be dominated by a large number of low-cost and entry-level devices. Here's what to expect. With advancements like Apple Intelligence and all-new in-house chip designs, Apple is reportedly looking to enhance many of its budget-friendly offerings, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. These updates also indicate a slight...
General Apps Messages Redux

Phishing Attacks Use This Simple Trick to Defeat iPhone Message Security

Monday January 13, 2025 6:11 am PST by
A new social engineering tactic is being used by cybercriminals to trick iPhone users into disabling iMessage's built-in phishing protection, in a bid to expose them to malicious links and scams, according to BleepingComputer. The scam exploits a security feature in iMessage that automatically disables links from unknown senders. Apple told the outlet that when users reply to these messages...

Top Rated Comments

Stridder44 Avatar
169 months ago
I hate iAds....stop trying to sell me stuff, just let me own my device without some company bill boarding my apps....boo
Then stop being a cheapskate and buy them or pay for the premium version. Developers (and the work that goes into an app) aren't free, you know. Plus, it's not like anyone is holding a gun to your head forcing you to click on the iAds or even look at them.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nielsenius Avatar
169 months ago
I'd much rather pay a couple dollars for an app than have my view poisoned by ads. I realize that advertising is, often, a necessary evil, but that doesn't keep me from being annoyed by constant ads.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pegamush Avatar
169 months ago
bring it to OSX and i'll switch back to Windows
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FrHa Avatar
169 months ago
I forgot about iAd, lol! :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
169 months ago
An Ad is an Ad, no matter how much candy eye to try to add.. and the majority people just hate adverts.

I guess, Apple is still struggling with iAds, otherwise the price wouldn't be dropping, still.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
169 months ago
This may just be a great thing for me...

I've been strongly considering dropping ads entirely from my ad supported apps and just charging for them... but if Apple wants to finally drop the requirement that people tap on the ads, that sounds great. Only about 1 in 1000 people would actually do that, and as a result, I essentially only made 10 cents per 1000 uses of my app. That amounted to anywhere between $1 and $5 per month. At thousands of downloads for free, I'm pretty certain if I changed to charging $1 per download I'd still get a few dozen downloads a month. Heck, just one dozen downloads a month would still be $8, over double what I get in an average month from ads.

If ad fill rates go up from the reduced buy in, that could double impressions (right now only about 50% of users see ads.) Increase my cut from 60% to 70% and that'll be a slight increase, too. Maybe change $0.10/thousand to $1/thousand... and this could be substantial. $1-$5 per month goes to $21-$110 per month... my ad supported apps would actually make me roughly as much money as my paid for apps.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)