Why do they want to know that?

Why did Y! make a weather app?​

I was wondering that after I saw Yahoo!'s second major mobile release under Meyers was a weather app (after Flickr). I mean, Yahoo! already powers Apple weather (the data comes from the Weather Service, I think.)  ​You would be hard pressed to really monetize a weather app (though I suppose you could put ads on it.)

So, why develop a weather app? ​

Of course, like any free app, you're paying for it with your information. So, ​it got me thinking about what you're telling Yahoo! when you check the weather. 

First, you're telling them not only where you live, but where you work (if they're different). You're also telling them about the cities that you care about. When you set up the app, you're probably telling them about cities you travel to often or where you have relatives. When you add cities later, you're probably planning on traveling there. 

​All of that information is incredibly valuable to advertisers. (By the way, that's why Apple kicked Google out of mapping and why Waze keeps popping up as an acquisition target.) ​

But honestly, it's a good looking and useful app and I'm happy to trade the info for it. ​But I'm making the choice consciously.