[picapp src=”0600/a0f3aea6-389e-48fb-943d-9a7ef5a5c14d.jpg?adImageId=7606739&imageId=608009″ width=”234″ height=”160″ /] Marketers may soon have a new captive audience for their advertisements: iPod & iPhone users.
A British newspaper reported Tuesday that Apple has filed a patent for an “enforcement routine” software. It’s believed that the technology for this application would force users to watch or listen to commercials, which they would be unable to skip past.
The report said that users could be required to answer questions about the advertisements to make sure they listened and fully understood them. In addition, iPod users could be asked to press certain button combinations to allow them to continue listening to music.
This software would be a boon for Apple, since it could help cut the costs of some of its best selling products. And it would certainly be a golden opportunity for advertisers, since the iPod and iPhone are such popular items.
My knee-jerk reaction to this news as a consumer was, “Oh, no. Not more advertising.” But then I remembered that I’m in the business of helping companies make money online so, “Way to go, Apple! Whoo-hoo!”
