AppleInsider has found an article by AdAge that suggests that ads are coming to iTunes. Apparently, some of Apple’s content partners have let slip the news that we could see visual ads in the lower-left section of the iTunes desktop application. Today, Apple features audio ad spots in some podcasts but there are no visual ads on iTunes or any of its content.
The move may be in response to other content producers looking at free content (eg, ABC and NBC starting to offer free streaming of some of their shows complete with ads). My fear is that this move would only be the first step on a slippery slope that could eventually lead to visual ads on our iPods.