Apple acquires Quattro Wireless
It's official. The acquisition of the mobile advertising company comes when Google--suddenly Apple's big rival in mobile--has made plans to acquire competitor AdMob.
Mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless confirmed Tuesday that it's been acquired by Apple, in a blog post by Quattro CEO Andy Miller, who's identifying himself now as Apple vice president of mobile advertising.
A price wasn't named, but AllThingsD reported that it's $275 million when it broke the news on Monday.
The announcement comes as Apple increasingly finds itself going head-to-head with Google in new developments in the mobile market. In November, Google announced its $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a Quattro competitor. Government regulatory bodies, however, may slow down that purchase.
Google also just unveiled the Nexus One, the Google-branded "superphone" running its Android operating system. Available for sale without a carrier contract, it's widely considered to be the most viable competitor to Apple's iPhone yet.
Google put out a response (defensiveness thinly veiled) on Tuesday afternoon on its Public Policy Blog. "Today's news that Apple is acquiring one of AdMob's competitors, Quattro Wireless, is further proof that the mobile advertising space continues to be competitive," the post read. "And with more investments and acquisitions in the space, including from established players like Apple and Google, that's a sign that vigorous growth and competition will continue. That's ultimately great for users, advertisers and publishers alike."
Meanwhile, Apple also recently acquired streaming music service Lala, with rumors suggesting that its technology will be used to upgrade the iTunes service.
This post was updated at 12:54 p.m. PT with Google's response.