Apple buys Quattro Wireless in response to Google buying AdMob

Today Quattro Wireless officially announced that Apple has acquired it. The details are not clear yet, but it seems that the price tag was $275 million. With about $30 million in funding, this is yet another impressive exit for an advertising mediation agency!

Andy Miller – Vice President of Mobile Advertising have sent this email this morning:

We are thrilled to let you know that Apple has acquired Quattro. We want to share with you our excitement about this news and what it means for our customers.
We have built our business by enabling advertisers to reach the right consumers across the mobile web and in applications. We remain focused on delivering more engaging, relevant and useful ads to mobile devices, and improving the measurement and execution of digital campaigns. Together with Apple, we look forward to developing exciting new opportunities in the future that will benefit our customers.

Waltham, Mass.-based Quattro has raised close to $30 million from two main venture investors–Highland Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners. Founded several years ago, its clients include Ford (F), Disney (DIS) and the National Football League

You probably remember the recent Google purchase – AdMob. AdMob is considered the largest mobile advertising network. Purchase of Quattro Wireless by Apple seems to be a fire back to Google, but is it really? It is rumored that Apple was actually first to bid on AdMob, but was upper handed by Google at the eleventh hour.

This deal goes through just hours from Google announcing its new phone developed with HTC – Nexus One, which will go on sale through Google website for rumored $530 as well as subsidized by T-Mobile for $180 for 2 year personal contract (no family/prepaid or other plans…. ehh…)

Those are definitely interesting times. Mobile advertising is buzzing.