June 30 - 11:40am EDT   Apple is now broadcasting two new TV ads for the iPhone 3G S, promoting basic features of the device. The first highlights copy and paste support, through examples such as pasting a phone number into an SMS message, or copying a map out of Google Maps. The ad does not mention that copy/paste will work on any iPhone or iPod touch updated with the v3.0 firmware, including the original 2G iPhone from 2007. [full story]

June 24 - 3:30pm EDT   Google has begun a public beta test of AdSense advertising embedded into mobile applications. The program currently supports contextual ads within Android and iPhone software, which can target users according to application, location, category or keyword. Apps must be free, however, and generate a minimum of 100,000 daily pageviews. [full story]

May 11 - 6:40pm EDT   In airing a new video, Microsoft has expanded its ad competition with Apple to encompass music support. The ad specifically targets the iTunes Store, and relies on a financial speaker named Wes Moss to criticize the value of buying tracks outright instead of subscribing to a service like the Zune Pass. At 120GB, claims Moss, the full-sized version of the iPod classic would cost roughly $30,000 to fill when using the iTunes Store. [full story]

April 20 - 9:10am EDT   After a period of relative quiet in the area, Apple has debuted four new Get a Mac ads, claiming the superiority of Macs over PCs. In the first, "Biohazard Suit," PC is dressed in protective garb because of a "major new PC virus" circulating the Internet. As many as 20,000 new viruses or pieces of malware appear for PCs each day, the ad alleges. The first Mac botnet recently became active. [full story]

March 25 - 11:25am EDT   Apple has placed high in Brandchannel's 2009 brandjunkie awards. Voters chose Apple as the top brand in several categories, such as best retail environment, in which it faced off against companies including IKEA, Starbucks and Walmart. The ability to not only try out products at a store but attend lectures and talk to technicians is cited as a plus, as is a minimalist but visually appealing interior design. [full story]

February 20 - 12:30pm EST   Analysis of trends reveals the dynamics of how and why iPhone applications sell, claims Pinch Media. The advertising firm notes for instance that popularity feeds popularity, as appearing in a top 100 list increases new users by 2.3 times, on average. The jump is said to be even more dramatic once in the top 10 or 25 apps of a particular category, though Pinch warns that the App Store is structured for rapid turnover. [full story]

February 18 - 12:15pm EST   Apple has posted an online version of its newest TV commercial for the second-generation iPod touch. The spot carries over motifs used in several previous ads for the Touch, such as overlapping hands and iPods, and a focus on accelerometer controls. The greatest emphasis remains on the games available from the App Store, here advertised with the slogans "More Games" and "More Fun." [full story]

January 7 - 10:55am EST   AdMob has devised a way to perform outside tracking of download numbers at the App Store, according to announcement. The mobile advertiser says it has launched a new Download Tracking initiative, whose primary goal is to monitor the conversion of clicks on ads to app downloads. As a result of early testing for apps like TapDefense and Urbanspoon, however, AdMob says it has already managed to discern general trends in the app industry. [full story]

December 8 - 5:05pm EST   Apple CEO Steve Jobs is himself involved in picking the songs used in company advertising, a musician claims. Lars Iversen, a member of The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, notes that when "Around the Bend" was chosen for an iPod touch TV ad, a company representing the band -- Synch -- first got in touch with Apple, and then participated in a direct meeting with Jobs. The executive is said to have picked the song to use at this meeting, expressing particular enthusiasm for the music. [full story]

December 8 - 3:20pm EST   Google is adopting a more concentrated approach to marketing on cellphones, an announcement reveals. The company says it has revised its AdWords advertising system, and will now allow advertisers to push desktop-like web ads to the iPhone, the T-Mobile G1 and other phones with full HTML support. While AdWords material has appeared on devices such as the iPhone in the past, Google says it is now allowing people to target iPhone- and G1-like platforms explicitly, without having to use mobile formats or landing pages. [full story]

November 26 - 9:35am EST   A second TV ad for the iPhone has been banned from British TV, the region's Advertising Standards Authority has announced. The ASA says it received 17 complaints about the ad, which depicts a person switching from the Times Online website to Google Maps, and finally the phone's Mail client. The problem with the ad is said to be the speed depicted for the phone's 3G connection, which the ad claims is "really fast," but which the ASA says is shown as completing actions in "a fraction of a second." [full story]

November 4 - 11:45am EST   Apple has posted a new TV ad online, simply referred to as "Dilemmas." The ad promotes use of the iPhone in "solving life's dilemmas," mainly through the help of the various apps sold on the App Store. The commercial specifically highlights Wanderspot's Urbanspoon app, which uses GPS tracking to locate nearby restaurants, and the iPhone's motion sensor to allow random selection through shaking. The app is a free download, but outside of the United States has a limited database of major cities. [full story]

October 20 - 4:45pm EDT   The iPhone appears to be providing a significant boost to related mobile industries, involved parties claim. Andrew Fisher -- CEO of the company behind Shazam, an app which lets users identify songs through an iPhone's microphone -- notes that although his outfit is over four years old, prior to the iPhone 3G, people would only use earlier versions of Shazam three to five times per phone. The iPhone version of Shazam has been downloaded over 1.5 million times in 10 weeks, and has made over 20 million requests from Shazam's servers, equivalent to two or three song look-ups per person, per week. [full story]

October 20 - 9:25am EDT   Apple has released new "Get a Mac" TV ads in an attempt to counter recent Microsoft efforts at boosting the public image of Windows. In the first of the ads, which are now available online, PC (John Hodgman) is shown setting aside a large portion of money for advertising, and a tiny portion on fixing Windows Vista. When Mac (Justin Long) points out that the Vista money is not enough, PC admits this and shifts it all over to the advertising pile. [full story]

September 23 - 11:45pm EDT   Another lawsuit against Apple and AT&T is hitting the courts, with New York resident Jai Sen crying foul over both companies' advertising of the iPhone 3G, software problems, and cracks in the device's chassis. The lawsuit comes through the US District Court for the Eastern district of New York, and encompasses a class-action perspective, with other plaintiffs simply referred to as "others similarly situated." [full story]