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Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

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Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#131

Post by tgv »

ninth_ant wrote: post #91
Mikeb85 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because Microsoft's raison-d'être is to extract as much money as possible from computer users. No matter how much they try to not be evil, no matter how many overtures they make to developers, it won't change the fact that Microsoft is basically just a hostile entity out there to extract as much money as possible from the computing scene.

Of course for-profit companies try to extract as much money as possible from their customers, that’s the reason they exist. The issue is that once again Microsoft is abusing their monopoly power on the home PC market to make decisions that otherwise would be ignored. No one would download and install Edge and be force-fed ads for money lenders, except that Microsoft installs it by default and aggressively pushes wind…

I do not agree that maximizing profit is necessary. A company needs to take care of our customers and employees, and only make enough profit to keep doing so. More is just unethical.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#132

Post by dzhiurgis »

turminal wrote: post #83
dzhiurgis wrote: post #60

MS is probably one of the best positioned to give very accurate digital credit score, given just about everything goes thru their OS and browser. There’s tons of such companies now - basically just scraping your Uber, Postmates, etc accounts and selling that to banks so people without credit history can have a start.

> MS is probably one of the best positioned to give very accurate digital credit score, given just about everything goes thru their OS and browser. I don't think so, lots of people do everything on their phones.

Especially people who would use afterpay. That said shopping on mobile still sucks.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#133

Post by phendrenad2 »

deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

Maintaining browsers has become a significant undertaking, so complex that only well-funded corporate interests can afford to keep one patched and up-to-date with the latest web standards. It surpassed operating system complexity. It surpassed pretty much everything else too.

So we can forget about it ever being truly "free" (and free from ads) unless we simplify the web somehow. I also don't think we're going to go back in time and start cutting features out of browsers. So that isn't going to happen.

What might work is a browser funded by massive numbers of small user donations. That's the Firefox model. It kinda works? But Firefox still pushes things on their users and defaults to Google Search.

Another option is to pay for a browser. But there isn't enough interest in a paid browser to get one off the ground.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#134

Post by macintux »

behnamoh wrote: post #123
deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

I typically respect Apple products, but they also shove ads in the settings app...

I have seen a reminder once about time running out to buy an AppleCare warranty, which I appreciated. What other ads have you seen in Settings?

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#135

Post by iamstupidsimple »

deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

But what can we do? Ads provide employment for tens of millions of people and fund literally billions of hours of content watched a year. Even if you agree most is trash, it's also allowed some really high quality stuff to flourish while being able to stay relatively independent.

It's strongly tied to economic growth, and thus everybody's pensions are tied up in the success of advertising. It seems illogical it makes such an obscene amount of money, but collectively the advertising industry is bigger than even oil & gas.

Now I don't exactly enjoy ads, I accept a few, but every time they're implemented the pressures of the market just increase it over and over until it ruins the base product, like a cancer.

What's the alternative?

Consumers don't have enough money to pay for dozens and dozens of subscriptions. The ads industry is effectively a tax on every other industry, and thus makes more money than consumers would ever spend on content. I'm open to ban advertising entirely but that also seems like an opposite extreme and counterproductive.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#137

Post by firebaze »

muzani wrote: post #136

I don't understand the controversy. Google and Apple make lots of money from their app stores. MS offers loans at a $4 fee and everyone loses their mind. Would everyone be as hostile if say, Opera did the same thing?

Suppose your fridge would offer to order from a fast-food "restaurant" near you everytime you get close to it.

Sounds illogical, unexpected and puzzling?

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#138

Post by hellbannedguy »

tzs wrote: post #102
AlexandrB wrote: post #15

> It allows any purchase between $35 and $1,000 made through Microsoft Edge to be split into four payments over a six-week period. > While the service is being promoted as ‘interest-free’, some were quick to point out that all transactions are subject to a “$4 flat fee”. $4 in fees on $1000 over 6 weeks is an effective APR of around 4% - pretty good. $4 in fees on $35 over 6 weeks is an outrageous APR of around 123%.…

It is interesting to compare to using a credit card. The net tells me that the average credit card in the US has an APR of around 16%. Credit cards typically charge no interest for a month if you pay your balance in full that month. If you don't pay in full they charge interest based on your average daily balance during the month and the length of the month. If you were to pay with your credit card and then make 4 pa…

In the US there usually is no interest if you pay on time.

You can have perfect credit, but if your balance starts to get up there, credit cards can up their credit APR up to 29%. (Don't quote me on 29%, but it up there.)

So credit cards are great if you pay in full each month.

But when you actually need that cc money they tell you to spend, the consumer has very few rights. They can raise your rate of annual interest, and they do. I don't think there's a cc out there that doesn't have a mandatory mediation clause either.

CC are bankrupt-able, even if you fib on your annual income. Don't fib. I believe the CC have more access these days to your finances. I once asked a Bankruptcy attorney about lying on the annual income. (People lie to get better rates.) He said, everyone lies on those forms. When a CC accepts you, they are basically accepting you on your Credit Rating. These is case law out there on this matter.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#139

Post by firebaze »

NazakiAid wrote: post #2

Make it hard for others to use other browsers, then push them in to getting in to buying things they cannot afford. Very unethical and I hope there are repercussions for all this horrible behavior.

I relate to the line of thought this is like spam mail: they like to do obvious errors, because it filters people who'd disturb their money-farming scheme by asking questions.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#140

Post by cebert »

tgv wrote: post #131
ninth_ant wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course for-profit companies try to extract as much money as possible from their customers, that’s the reason they exist. The issue is that once again Microsoft is abusing their monopoly power on the home PC market to make decisions that otherwise would be ignored. No one would download and install Edge and be force-fed ads for money lenders, except that Microsoft installs it by default and aggressively pushes wind…

I do not agree that maximizing profit is necessary. A company needs to take care of our customers and employees, and only make enough profit to keep doing so. More is just unethical.

I used to have similar thoughts until I got my MBA. We live in a capitalist economy. Investors consider where to invest by comparing an investment opportunity to a safe rate of return. They need some upside (greater returns) to offset the risk of less certain investments. Maximizing profits or at least ensuring hefty returns is important for a firm to continue to grow and receive investment dollars.
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