iPhone responsible for more than half of mobile advertising

Mobile
advertising firm Millennial Media recently announced Apple’s various devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, account for 55 percent of all mobile advertising. In its Mobile Mix Report 2010, Millennial found Android devices account for nearly 20 percent of mobile advertising and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry products make up 16 percent.

While Apple’s lead is sizable, Millennial believes Android will account for more of the market in the future as its devices continue to grow within the the global smartphone market. Further driving both sales and advertising on Android is that multiple smartphone manufacturers design devices that run on the operating system.

“The fact that more devices are being launched by the different handset manufacturers and the fact that developers are choosing to develop on multiple platforms, continues to show that where there is money to be made, developers will go there,” Steve McCord, head of product development at Millennial, said.

Millennial is currently the largest independent mobile advertising company, however, TGDaily.com recently reported RIM may be interested in acquiring the group. The move may help the BlackBerry manufacturer account for a larger percentage of mobile advertising, which should benefit the company financially.

The audience for these advertisements will likely expand, according to ChangeWave Research, as more than 16 percent of Americans plan to invest in a smartphone in the third quarter of 2010.