Tron Legacy becomes first iPad-formatted iAd
updated 03:35 pm EST, Tue December 14, 2010
Only spot for 2010
The first-ever iAd placement on iPads is for Tron Legacy, an Apple spokesman says. The spot, launching today, includes stills, video, a theater locator and a preview of the Daft Punk soundtrack, which people can buy without leaving the ad. The placement is also the first iAd of any kind to allow in-app mail composition.
Which apps are using the ad is unmentioned with the exception of TV Guide. The ad will however be a solitary creature for some time, as iAd is not formally launching for the iPad until early next year. Even then its spread will be contained within the US, reflecting a slow expansion of iAd in general; the iPhone and iPod version of the platform only recently reached the UK and France, with Germany and Japan scheduled for next year.
The rollout of iAd has proved difficult. Although companies like Nissan have found success pushing their messages in the medium, some others have become disillusioned and quit. Apple exerts tight control over iAd production, and the cost of a single spot is unusually high for the mobile world. The Apple spokesman contends that many early problems have since been fixed.
