Apple’s iOS 9 puts Google into a tight corner

Apple’s new mobile device operating system, iOS9, includes the possibility for developers to create extensions to block content when using Safari, which aside from fitting into Apple’s philosophy, also puts Google up against the ropes, and could potentially redefine advertising on the internet.

Allowing developers to create content blockers for Safari — the term “content” here is simply a euphemism for “advertising” — but shows that Apple understands the growth in ad blockers (up 41 percent last year, and used by almost 200 million people), that they will soon be available for smartphones, and perhaps most importantly, people like them. The first tests with the content blocker activated using the current beta version of iOS 9 produces impressive results such as longer battery life, quicker loading and less data consumption.

There’s no avoiding reality here: many of the pages we look at are a nightmare for the user. In return for allowing you to access the content you really want to see, you have to accept your navigation being tracked. But using the list of sites and scripts on the operating system you can put the blocker on, and hey presto, all that other “content” is rejected, and the navigator doesn’t even have to process them to decide what to block when loading the page, while speed as increased significantly.

One thing is trying to base your business model on advertising; it’s quite another thing to imagine that in return for a few KBs of content, users have to accept several MBs of advertising and trackers that simply clogs up their machine, uses valuable battery space, and intrudes on your privacy. Under these kinds of circumstances, it’s only a matter of time before people want to install blockers.

Doing so on a smartphone usually means installing an app from a different place to where we usually find them, and set the device so that it will accept such apps. It also means trusting that the app is safe, downloading a file, and being left with the impression that what you’ve just done isn’t quite right. But with Apple’s iOS 9, things are much easier and user friendly.

We should remember that Apple doesn’t want to develop the mother of all ad blockers and get into a fight, but simply to encourage developers to provide the service through extensions. On an iPhone with iOS9, this makes navigating with Safari quicker, as well as a more pleasant experiences, what’s more, depending on how much you use your smartphone, you will also see longer battery life and better consumption in your data plan. For advertisers, the block will mean that many of their messages will never reach a certain number of people who have been described as premium, and that are not reachable using conventional methods.

Apple’s idea is for these advertisers to channel their content through iAd, an option the company offers within iOS to manage advertising on apps such as News, which raises the possibility of improving the value of this division, while at the same time giving it better and more centralized control over the user experience.

In a single move, Apple has increased the appeal of the iPhone to users who consume a lot of content, while reducing that of a rival that overwhelmingly depends on advertising. As more and more people install adblockers on their iPhones, advertisers will be obliged to use iAd, for which Apple charges a commission, while controlling what its users see or don’t see (Apple tends to be very strict about what it considers acceptable content).

Seen from the perspective of Spain, a country where iPhones make up just 12 percent of the market (although that is twice the figure for 2014, the significance of this move is not immediately apparent. But in the context of the United States and Europe, where iPhone’s market share is 47 percent and 42 percent respectively, advertisers will soon feel the impact.

For Apple, it means showcasing iAd, a unit that so far has been in the background. This move aims to hit Google hard, while at the same time pleasing customers, growing numbers of who are sick and tired of what they see as intrusive advertising. This is very much a checkmate situation for Google, which will find it hard to come back with a similar move, given the anti-trust authorities’ close watch on the company.

Things are going to get interesting after autumn, when iOS 9 is officially launched.

(En español, aquí)