Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said that Apple plans to display search ads in the iPhone’s map application starting next year. Gurman wrote in the “Power On” newsletter: “I believe Apple has begun work on displaying search ads in the Maps app. We should see it implemented sometime next year.”
According to reports, the ads in the Apple Maps app will not be traditional banner ads on the website but paid search results. For example, a fast food chain could pay Apple to appear at the top of the search results when a user searches for “hamburger” or “french fries.”
At present, Apple has displayed search ads in the App Store, allowing developers to pay to promote applications to users who search for relevant keywords. Apple also plans to display ads in the App Store’s “Today” tab and in the new “You might also like” area at the bottom of the app listing, along with banner ads in Apple’s News and Stocks apps.
This comes after Gurman said last week that Apple plans to significantly expand its advertising business over time. Apple’s advertising division generates about $4 billion in revenue each year, and Apple’s advertising chief Todd Teresi hopes to raise that figure to at least $10 billion a year.