YouTube App to Disappear from Next Version of iOS

As far as I can remember, all iPhones have come with a YouTube app.  But when iOS 6 appears, that app will be missing.  Why?

One word:  ads.  

If you’ve been using YouTube to search for music videos, you’ll know that it’s getting harder and harder to view a video that doesn’t feature some kind of pre-roll add.  

From what I understand (and please correct me if I’m wrong), Google/YouTube has a tool for rooting out copyrighted material like music videos.  Rather than take them down, Google/YouTube just sticks a non-skippable ad before the video starts.  That view equals revenue for someone.

This is annoying to Apple.  And the fact that it annoys Apple puts Google/YouTube in a snit–especially since you don’t always get the ads and pre-rolls when you watch a video on an iOS device.

All Things Digital says this:

Here’s some insight from an industry executive who works with both companies, and suggests that you’ll increasingly see YouTube take control of all its apps, for the reasons discussed above: Ad dollars and user experience. “YouTube [has] decided they didn’t want third-parties building apps,” says my source. “Their strategy has changed. They want to control their destiny more.”

Read more here.