Google Catching Up To Apple In Mobile Ads

Google Inc.'s Android operating system is catching up to Apple Inc's iOS in terms of mobile ads, and it is partially due to slow adoption of Apple's new iOS 8, according to a new study. In the third quarter, Android devices led in traffic among the operating systems of competitors Apple, BlackBerry Ltd. and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows , according to mobile ad platform Opera Mediaworks. Google's OS captured 58% of mobile share traffic in the third quarter, compared with 30% for iOS, its next closest competitor. Google still lags Apple in terms of the contribution mobile ads make toward total revenue, but Opera Mediaworks said Android is "beginning to close the gap." Last quarter, 42% of Android's revenue was derived from mobile ads, up three percentage points from last quarter, according to the report. For Apple, 51% of iOS revenue comes from mobile ads. Shares of Google slid 0.9% to $548.51 in recent trade, following a tech-sector sell-off led by Amazon Inc. Apple's shares were up 0.6% to $104.89.