Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

thurrott.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 413 posts

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#81

Post by jklinger410 »

lintroller wrote: post #52
maxxxxx wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sure that providers with paid products like Netflix or HBO are watching closely. Until now the deal was that the customer pays to get rid of ads but maybe they can make the customer pay and still show ads?

I don't think that Microsoft serving ads within their native mail application has strong ramifications for Netflix or HBO. They are different market segments with different expectations.

The pressure to serve ads in everything that has eyeballs on it is universal.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#82

Post by yebyen »

mav3rick wrote: post #65
jammygit wrote: post #44

All I want is to be able to give companies my money in exchange for not being spied on, manipulated, or locked into some walled garden. I can't for my OS - I have to use free gnu/Linux because everyone else treats me like crap. Is my money not good enough for them? This is getting absurd

The money you would likely pay would be less than what they can make by selling you ads (as a whole). If you were willing to pay > $1000 for software and services there was no reason for companies to maintain an Ad business.

Is that really true? I feel like they would need _everyone_ to be willing to pay that much, and on a recurring basis somehow to make support sustainable.

The value of marketing to Windows users is in the network effect. If one Windows user can pay $1000 to avoid advertising and change nothing else, the other users will probably hear about this and take notice. But if every Windows user is subjected to ads, I very much doubt that Microsoft is making $1000 in advertising revenue from just one person.

Microsoft would never convert 100% of users to "ad-free" paid subscriptions, at any price. But they can make money directly from advertising to 100% of their users, and there is no "loss" except from attrition (which I would guess is still probably quite a bit smaller than their numbers for overall user-base growth.)

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#83

Post by melling »

intopieces wrote: post #74
melling wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft has had 90% marketshare for 20 years now. You know who has demonstrated that they are their own worst enemy? Consumers. People vote with their pocketbook. Now you have to live with that result.

>People vote with their pocketbook In this case, I don’t think that’s fair. A great number of people can’t devote the time to learning a new operating system or cannot afford a high priced OS X machine.

Yeah, after 20 years later you’re kind of screwed. Much of the competition is dead.

Beats me. Not like we couldn’t see this coming for two decades. Soon you’ll be the product.

Maybe next year will be the year of Linux.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#84

Post by benologist »

ryanianian wrote: post #67
_uhtu wrote: post #47

Amazon has lately been putting ads on prime video for other prime video shows. I have a feeling we're rapidly going towards most paid services having ads. Also, on prime video, occasionally, pressing the fast forward button won't skip the ad. I'm sure it's one of those "bugs" that just happens to force the user to do something the company wants but the user doesn't but I have a feeling it might just stop working all…

This is infuriating. I'm paying for the service--that's supposedly what's sustaining it--why are there ads? If you (Amazon) decide you want more money, let me decide to pay more to eliminate ads. Similar things abound with Hulu. Even the more expensive "ad free" version has some ads for certain shows/movies due to "licensing agreements" (read: Hulu wanting more money).

Once these companies decide their best path to new profits doesn't include new or improved products or growth it's just a question of who they are going to fuck, their employees or users.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#85

Post by jklinger410 »

andrepd wrote: post #62
jklinger410 wrote: post #14

Pay for Windows, get bloatware and ads. Pay for Mac OS...don't. Use Google, get everything for free subsidized by ads. Pay for Windows, still get ads? Hmmmmm

My, I wish there was an OS that respected my freedoms unlike all of those... Hmm.

Time is money. Learning/setting up/operating around Linux is expensive.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#86

Post by PascLeRasc »

x0x0 wrote: post #66
melling wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft has had 90% marketshare for 20 years now. You know who has demonstrated that they are their own worst enemy? Consumers. People vote with their pocketbook. Now you have to live with that result.

To be fair, the only serious competition for home users has laptops that (now) start at $1200, plus tax, applecare, and dongles (oh, you wanted a USB-A connection like basically every device in the world uses? Jony is about to courage your wallet. You want to be able to connect it to the odd tv via HDMI, what everything in the world uses? More courage!)... so basically $1500 to walk out the store. I'm aware you can g…

Chromebooks are pretty much perfect for home users, and starting to be decent for developers too.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#87

Post by saurik »

jimijazz wrote: post #42
tobyhinloopen wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh shit I can't use (any application) on Linux, but there is (mediocre alternative) instead!

Which aplications would you like to see in Linux?

Pretty much everything made by Adobe and Microsoft (but I can sort of live without the ones from Microsoft). Honestly, if Adobe made a Linux distribution as part of Creative Suite (which I would think wouldn't even be hard for them to port to Linux) I bet they could make a strong running taking over the desktop operating system market.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#88

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

Dear Microsoft,

As a vocal critic of the Linux Desktop, your horrifically misguided attempts to "improve" Windows since Windows 10 have so degraded the experience of using it that I am now only 2 reasons[0] away from switching anyway, so at least I don't have to pay for the privilege of using crappy software.

I would ask you kindly to cease your endeavors to kill off the Windows Desktop and personal computing in general, but having dealt with you I know that it is your policy to ignore user feedback.

[0] 1. I hate package managers as an application installation paradigm, and 2. GPU drivers still perform worse for my card, if you must know.

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#89

Post by swebs »

aw3c2 wrote: post #2

So, my uncle needs a new computer and he needs Windows 10 on it. How can I make sure that he is not being spied on and psychologically manipulated by ads right from the beginning? Is there a professional version of Windows 10 with none of those shenanigans I keep hearing about?

https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Re: Microsoft Is Putting Ads on the Mail App in Windows 10

#90

Post by IpV8 »

aikah wrote: post #69
jammygit wrote: post #44

All I want is to be able to give companies my money in exchange for not being spied on, manipulated, or locked into some walled garden. I can't for my OS - I have to use free gnu/Linux because everyone else treats me like crap. Is my money not good enough for them? This is getting absurd

> All I want is to be able to give companies my money in exchange for not being spied on, manipulated, or locked into some walled garden. I can't for my OS - I have to use free gnu/Linux because everyone else treats me like crap. AFAIK a license is paid with every new computer coming WITH Windows, so it isn't like people get Windows for free. I'm not sure it is even possible to transfer Windows's license from compute…

What do you mean tomorrow? When I open my start menu today I see ads for a bunch of games and apps that I don't have installed. When I see my lock screen I see a pretty nature photo with a couple of clickbait phrases on it like "If you think that this place is peacefull, then..."
Post reply on HN