iAd to launch on July 1

Apple's new iAd in-app mobile ad network will go live on July 1 on all iOS 4 devices, and will feature an impressive list of top-tier clients who have committed more than $60 million worth of advertising for 2010 alone.

Speaking at the company's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that some of the world's best known brands, from General Electric to Unilever and Disney, have signed up to serve ads through the new platform, which was originally introduced at the same special event that saw the announcement of iPhone OS 4 (renamed on Monday to iOS 4).

Jobs demoed an ad for Nissan's new LEAF electric car at WWDC; the ad displays directly inside a running application and, when tapped, takes over the entire screen to play a video and allow the user to enter a contest to win a car--all without leaving the original app.

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Apple's new iAd in-app mobile ad network will go live on July 1 on all iOS 4 devices, and will feature an impressive list of top-tier clients who have committed more than $60 million worth of advertising for 2010 alone.

Speaking at the company's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that some of the world's best known brands, from General Electric to Unilever and Disney, have signed up to serve ads through the new platform, which was originally introduced at the same special event that saw the announcement of iPhone OS 4 (renamed on Monday to iOS 4).

Jobs demoed an ad for Nissan's new LEAF electric car at WWDC; the ad displays directly inside a running application and, when tapped, takes over the entire screen to play a video and allow the user to enter a contest to win a car--all without leaving the original app.

According to Jobs, integrating the platform inside an app takes about an afternoon--essentially, developers need to decide where the ads are displayed. Payment for the ads takes place directly through iTunes Connect, Apple's iTunes publishing portal, with developers keeping 60 percent of all revenues.