The Next Web:
The next version of iOS comes with a major new feature called ‘content blockers’ which will allow users to install apps that block trackers, advertisements and other unwanted content for the first time.
Much has been written about the impending threat of ad blocking on iOS — it’s the first time blocking mobile advertisements en masse will be possible and publishers may face an existential threat to their revenue streams.
I spent the weekend with my new found family in Ontario and surfing my usual web sites on iOS was a torturous process. Most of the time, I was on 3G or – gasp! – Edge and some popular web pages would take several minutes to load enough to be readable. It’s going to be interesting how this whole ad blocking things shakes out but, if the examples included in the story are any indication, it’s going to be great for users in some ways.
Unfortunately, I suspect content blocking will be easy for publishers to defeat: Just make the whole page look and load like ads to the blocker. Users will turn off content blocking for the site. Done.
Except the site will load a bit more slowly than it used to.
Will surely be a game of cat and mouse although AdBlock still eliminates most ads. Many people will not install content blockers unless it’s a default. My hope is that this will, in fact, not eliminate adverts (which are an important way to sustain web sites like this) but will change behaviours of advertisers so that they are far less intrusive. I may be dreaming 🙂
I share your dream!
I hope you’re right. But I think having content pretend it’s advertising will probably be less disruptive for the bad sites than actually improving the sites. 🙂
I’m more intrigued by “new found family.” I was adopted as an infant and met both of my biological parents in 2001. Is it something like that?
Hey Steve. Check out these URLs and keep an eye on the DOAMM site for an update I’m writing right now. 🙂 http://doamm.com/2012/08/28/so-this-happened-yesterday/ and http://doamm.com/2015/06/21/my-three-dads/
Now if I could just block any more stock Apple apps appearing on my iPhone that’d be great…