Apple’s unveiling later today of the new iPhone operating system software – iPhone 4.0 – may feature a mobile advertising platform, say experts. Such a move would ramp-up competition with Google, which is separately bracing itself for an anti-trust investigation into its planned acquisition of mobile ad platform AdMob. According to a report in The Telegraph, rumours of an Apple mobile advertising push have been building following the Californian firm’s US$275 million acquisition of Quattro Wireless – a company that makes tools for embedding adverts in applications – in January. “I think iPhone OS 4.0 is likely to be far more than a feature release,” said Geoff Blaber, an analyst at CCS Insight. “This could kick start Apple’s move into mobile advertising following its acquisition of Quattro Wireless and escalate a mounting rivalry with Google.”

Ironically, Apple’s strategy could help diffuse a row between Google and the US Federal Trade Commission, which is currently scrutinising Google’s US$750 million acquisition of AdMob last year. Regulators are concerned that the tie-up between Google – the leader in Internet search advertising – and AdMob, the leading provider of advertising on smartphones, could create anti-trust concerns, though these fears could diminish if Apple enters the fray. According to The Telegraph, other features in Apple 4.0 are expected to include iPhone multitasking, the ability to synchronise content over Wi-Fi, support for document and page printing directly from the device, the ability to better organise apps, and improved enterprise support.