Apple is widely expected to launch it's iAd mobile advertising platform in the UK in December. They have apparently signed up a host of big name brands to kick start things too, including Unilever, Nespresso, Renault and Absolute Radio. The idea behind the platform is to allow developers to include ads within their apps. They are hosted by Apple who sell the space to the developers. So the first hitch is the high price tag that Apple is apparently demanding for the ads - reportedly around ten times the current average cost for similar campaigns. The other possible stumbling block for advertisers could be the perennial Apple problem of control. It is true to say the company likes to keep a very tight grip on their platforms and products, for example the approval process for the App Store. Indeed, on announcing their plans for iAd Apple said all of the advertisements would be polished and high quality. This seems to have led to a prolonged creative process which could stymie growth especially for smaller agencies or brands. Whatever the issues though, there is no doubt in my mind that the arrival of iAd in the UK will be huge for the mobile advertising business. It offers new opportunities the likes of which haven't really been seen before and one thing is certainly true, that it will only help Apple's profits to grow even further.  

So earlier this week twitter made a big announcement. The most interesting thing is that media such as videos and images will now appear in the stream rather like Facebook.

This is important because it means no longer will you have to go off of the current page to see what tweets are talking about. It means that sponsored tweets could include the YouTube video in support of the campaign will show up there in the feed. Clever social media chap Paul Armstrong has a good post for PR Week on the significance of this.

The design is clearly based on new Twitter iPad client and from the shots I've seen looks very slick and smooth.

It just shows how quickly things are moving for the social media site, which I joined in December 2006. In those days no one had an iPhone and mobile internet was very much a fledgling technology which meant the only way to interact with the site on the move was by using SMS. Now it is possible not only to tweet directly using any number of client apps but also take photos and even upload videos directly from your phone. Basically people, the future is here.